


Excavation of the Heart

by naivesherlolly



Category: Sherlock (TV)
Genre: Archaeology, F/M, Fluff, Implied Smut
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-15
Updated: 2020-06-07
Packaged: 2021-03-01 20:21:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 28
Words: 28,432
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23672980
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/naivesherlolly/pseuds/naivesherlolly
Summary: [Complete]Working as a consulting detective means that Sherlock, even though he doesn't want to, has to interact with lots of new people on every case. But the problem is, everyone is so boring and idiotic in his eyes. They're oblivious to the world around them, and they don't observe, only see. Well, maybe Georgia is the exception.Trigger Warning: Mentions of Rape, Sexual Assault and Murder. Please be cautious.
Relationships: Sherlock Holmes/Original Female Character(s)
Kudos: 9





	1. The Hopeless Employee

**Author's Note:**

> A new book! Enjoy :)
> 
> Also, sorry about the short chapters!

**To say that I'm annoyed, is an understatement.** Why people can't just do their jobs, I have no idea. I have just had a call to say that William, one of my employees, can't make it into work. Again. Sometimes I don't even know why he works here, because he never does enough to warrant having the job.

Looking out of the window of my hotel room, I decide to close my eyes, just for a minute. It's so calm and peaceful here, but I know that it won't last as soon as I get on site. So I enjoy the five minutes I have to myself before I have to leave, hoping that everything will still run smoothly with one less pair of hands.

We've been in Aswan, Egypt for three months now as part of the team leading the Qubbet el-Hawa project. Just North of the Nubian Village, Gharb Aswan, is one of the most densely occupied cemeteries of Ancient Egypt which dates from the 25th Century BC, to Roman Times. It has been such an amazing experience to work here, but unfortunately, we're returning to dreary London in two days time.

Albeit, being head of the archaeology department at the Museum of London has it's perks, so I got to lead the whole excavation and decide how long we stayed there for, so of course I opted for the longer time period. And everything was going well, until William decided that he wouldn't show up for one and a half of those months, claiming that he had 'other things to do', and now he is leaving early, for the exact same reason.

The most productive thing he has done this whole excavation is surveying the test pit right at the start of our trip, which in reality, anyone could have done. Even the new apprentice was more helpful than him, and she was only on site for the first five weeks. Firing William seems like a really good idea right now. It's not even like the team would miss him, as he is the most obnoxious person that you will ever meet, and everybody would be doing the exact same amount of work as before, seen as he makes no dents in the piles of work that we get everyday.

I think the correct word would be a narcissist. He thinks that he is above everyone else, making his own schedule, letting people down at the last minute and just overall being a jerk. That is such an American term to use, but it describes him perfectly.

The knock on my door wakes me from my thoughts. "Hey Georgie, you ready? They want to get going early so that we have more time to do inventory before we leave." I exhaled deeply, before grabbing my sand coloured backpack and my phone. Opening the door, I saw Donna standing outside, her hand raised as she was about to knock again.

"I'm here, I'm here, it's fine." She nodded once at me before starting off down the hall towards the stairs.

"So, who do we have today?" She asked. "You, me, Emilia, Jamie, Becca, William-"

"No, we don't have William." She gave me a look of exasperation. "I know, I need to fire him, and I will, but I just haven't had the time to think about it. But I promise, as soon as we get back, he's as good as gone."

"Good. I don't think I can deal with that bastard any longer." We both share a laugh as we descend down the concrete stairs to the ground floor. Donna Blake has been my second in command ever since I took on my role at the museum, so it's safe to say that she is the one person I can rely on whenever I need to.

As we exited the hotel, the heat instantly hit us in the face, but we had luckily gotten used to it over the three months we had been here. As we start off towards the site, we see a familiar face wave over at us. With a loud groan from Donna, we stop in our tracks and wait for The Hopeless Employee to make his way over to us.

"Hey guys! I'm sorry that I've got to leave early, but it's only three days, so you'll live without me, right?" Both myself and Donna give fake smiles. "That's good. But listen, I'm also going to have to take some time off after you get back, as I have lots of pressing matters to attend to, you get me?" He gives us a look, which makes me want to kick him in that smug face of his. "Peace out, guys!"

As he's walking away, Donna gives his back the middle finger, kicking the air behind him while I speak sarcastically. "Oh, you can have all the free time you want after we get back. Maybe you can use it to find a new job seen as we're inconveniencing you so much." Donna laughs at my comment before we both start walking towards the site. "Honestly, who does he think he is, the British Government or something?"

When we reach the site, most people have already got to work, to which I thank god for having at least some competent staff.

"Okay guys, what have we got?"   
  



	2. Returning home

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Georgia speaks with her brother, and her and Donna return home, only to get called to a crime scene.

**Once the inventory had been completed,** everyone returned to their hotel room, getting ready to leave for the airport the next day. Upon returning to her hotel room, Georgia flopped down onto her firm double bed, groaning at the headache she had developed over the course of the day from having to squint even through her sunglasses, trying to keep everybody in control and making sure that everything was ready to be taken back to London.

Georgia knew that they had a long day of travelling ahead of them tomorrow, so she decided that it would probably be a good idea to take a shower and finish packing. Just before she walked into the bathroom, she put her phone on charge and checked it for any messages, seeing that there was one from her brother.

_Hey, how are you doing? Excited to be coming home tomorrow?_

Georgia smiled at her brother's message, before sending a reply.

**Hey, Jacob. Yes, I'm doing fine, although a little sad to be leaving but at least I can see you, Mum and Dad again. How are you doing? Any developments with Jane?** ****

_I'm doing fine, and no, I haven't proposed to Jane yet. I'm leaving it for a little while longer until I'm sure that I've found the right ring._

**Fair enough. I'm just about to hop in the shower, but I'll see you soon!**

_Okay Georgie, stay safe and kick ass!_

Laughing at Jacob's response, she set her phone back down onto the table beside the bed and entered the bathroom. 

━━━━━━━━

**_The next day_ **

━━━━━━━━

As she was walking through Heathrow Airport, Georgia looked around, glad to be back home. She had no doubt that her department was falling apart without her, so she was glad to take back the reigns. Thinking about work, she also remembered what she had to do regarding William. Herself and Donna both knew that there was no point in him working there any longer, and that the best thing to do was to fire him. Although that would be easier if he turned up to work so she could actually speak to him.

Finally reaching the exit, Georgia waved goodbye to Donna, walking down to the car park where her brother had parked her car for her the previous day. When she reached the Black Range Rover, she took the keys out of her backpack and unlocked it, tucking her two suitcases into the boot and walking round to the drivers side, getting in. Georgia inhaled the scent of her car, having missed the feel of driving for three months.

On the way home, she stopped at her local coffee shop to grab some caffeine which she would most definitely need if she was going to fight the jet leg that she could already feel coming on. As soon as she walked in, she was hit with the strong aroma of her favourite substance, which she possibly liked a little too much, and more probably had a mild obsession with.

"Georgie, it's so good to see you! How was your trip?" Chelsea, one of the baristas at the shop, asked. Georgia had been a regular since she moved to Cambridge for university, and Chelsea had been working there just as long, so you could say that they had become good friends over the years.

"Hey, Chelsea. It was a success! We managed to find quite a few valuables and we definitely made a dent in the discovery of more of the tombs, so I'd say it went well."

"That's great. The usual, I'm presuming?" Georgia nodded before going and sitting down at one of the tables next to the counter. As she was waiting for her drink, her phone buzzed from her back pocket, so she reached back and grabbed it, looking at the screen. It illuminated with one of the people on her team, Julie. Georgia sighed before swiping the accept button.

"Hello?"

"Hey! Thank god you picked up. You're back from Egypt, right?" Georgia made a noise of acknowledgement, so Julie continued. "We've just been called to a crime scene by Scotland Yard, and we obviously can't handle it on our own without your authorisation, so I wondered if you could come down and help us?"

Georgia contemplated for a minute, before sighing. "Fine, I'll head down to the lab first to collect some equipment. Can you send me the location so I can make my own way down there?"

"Sure, I'll text it to you now." Georgia thanked Julie before hanging up and collecting her drink that Chelsea had finished while she was on the phone. Just as she was walking out of the shop, her phone buzzed with the location message.

Climbing into her car again, Georgia started it, turning around and going the opposite way from her house. After ten minutes, she pulled into the museums car park, getting out and locking the door before making her way inside the building, going straight down to the lab. It took around ten minutes for Georgia to get all the equipment she needed, deciding to take the lab's jeep instead of her own car.

When she got to the crime scene, Julie recognised the car straight away. As Georgia got out, she greeted Julie, who informed her of everything that had happened so far. "So the only information that I've been given is a man, Joseph Yule, has confessed to raping and murdering five women, and now their bodies are buried under the cellar of his house."

The house wasn't a big one, but it was in the middle of nowhere. The only things surrounding it were tons of fields, and no other establishments for miles, so it was probably easy to bring the victims down here and kill them without anyone hearing or noticing anything. It was a shame, because the house was nice, the only thing being that people were killed here, which put a more sinister turn on the atmosphere.

As she approached the house, Georgia could see that there was a man who looked like he was in charge, giving orders to other members of the police force. "Excuse me, are you the Inspector in charge of this case?" The man nodded. "Hi, I'm Georgia Brown, head of the archaeology team." She extended her hand, and he took it in a firm grip, shaking it with his own.

"Greg Lestrade. The scene's this way."


	3. The Man in the Milford Coat

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Georgia meets Sherlock at the crime scene.

**As DI Lestrade led me to the crime scene,** I spoke up, questioning him. "So, what exactly has my Archaeology team been called here for? I mean, surely your Forensics team can handle digging up some remnants of bodies, that's what they're here for." Greg laughed for a second, before replying.

"My team are more incompetent than they look. The only competent person on the team, so to speak, isn't specialised in this kind of thing, and I heard that your team were specialised in Forensic Archaeology, so I thought you might be our best bet at getting as much of the remains as possible, seen as they're so old, and most likely fragile." I nodded in understanding.

"That says a lot about your team, the fact that you don't trust them with something like this." Greg rolled his eyes.

"You'd be surprised." We finally reached the cellar, where my team had already started marking off and excavating the area carefully. "You see, if my team were here, then it'd be a right mess." We both chuckled slightly, looking over the work.

One of my team members approached after a couple of minutes. "Shall we get started, then?" I nodded.

"Yes, I brought the equipment in the Jeep, if you want to go and get it. I'll start an inventory." He nodded and skipped steps while climbing out of the dingy cellar. It stunk of mould and damp, creating a horrible stench in the air. I could already tell that this was going to be a particularly hard case. As the rest of the team were bringing the equipment down, Lestrade went up to go and show some more people in, and I surveyed the test pit, just before they started digging properly.

Just as I had started to get stuck into the work, the silence of the room was broken by what sounded like three men walking down the staircase. One voice I could recognise as Greg, but I couldn't figure out the other two men who were approaching the bottom of the stairs.

"Greg, I'll need everyone out. This case is a particularly hard one, seen as there won't be as much evidence as it was a fair while ago." One of the men spoke up with a deep baritone voice, which left me quite intrigued as to who its owner was.

"Sherlock, I can't just usher them out. I brought them especially to work on this case, and anyway, they're way more competent than the normal Forensics team. Just be glad that Anderson isn't here." Sherlock... I recognised that name from somewhere, but I definitely didn't know him personally, that's for sure.

As the three men rounded the corner, I looked up from my work and instantly caught gazes with the man I could only assume was Sherlock, who had stopped in his tracks to survey the area when he looked directly at me. We only broke off the staring contest when the other unknown man coughed, causing Sherlock to look away, and me to look at the man.

"Hi, I'm John Watson and this is Sherlock Holmes. If you're working this case, then you'll probably be seeing a lot of us in the near future." I stood up from crouching near the floor, and took his outstretched hand.

"Georgia Brown, nice to meet you. I'm the head Archaeologist for this case, as I'm sure you've already been told." John smiled in response, and I looked over to Sherlock for a second before John cleared his throat again.

"There's no point in trying to introduce yourself, he's probably already engrossed in his deductions already." I made a face of recognition, before Sherlock made a surprise turn towards me and held out his hand.

"Not just yet, John. Sherlock Holmes, as I assume you already know." I grasped his hand, giving it a firm shake before letting go. His strong grip didn't surprise me, although his lean figure in comparison, did.

"I could have sworn that I've heard your name before somewhere, but I just can't quite remember where from..." I trailed off, before he answered.

"You've probably seen me on the news a number of times, I'm the worlds only Consulting Detective. I often solve cases for Scotland Yard when they're being stupid, which is always."

"Well, I guess that makes me not the worlds only Forensic Archaeologist." Sherlock smiled briefly at me, before making a start on the work. I took a second to look at him properly, noting that he wore a long Milford Belstaff coat, with a navy blue scarf wrapped around his neck, and a dark suit matched with a white button up shirt.

I decided that I, too, should probably get on with my work, seen as it won't complete itself. I joined the rest of my team with starting to excavate the site, while having no idea that John and Greg had watched mine and Sherlock's whole interaction with keen eyes.

God knows what they were plotting.


	4. The Ditsy Girlfriend.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Georgia, Greg and John get to meet Sherlock's 'delightful' new girlfriend.

**After ten minutes of continuously working in silence,** there was another pair of footsteps that could be heard walking down the stairs. Georgia, not hearing this, continued working even when the person had reached the bottom and was now walking into the room. When she did finally look up from her work, it was because all she could hear was squealing from what sounded like a strangled bird.

"Sherly-bear! I've been looking everywhere for you!" As Georgia looked up to Sherlock, she could see straight away that the girl had interrupted his work, and he was not happy about it. But, as soon as the other woman made contact with him, his face brightened up. It was funny for Georgia, because she did not see Sherlock as the type to pursue a relationship, let alone one with a woman like her.

When Georgia cast her gaze over to the woman, she found herself recognising her. She had honey blonde curly hair that went just past her bust, and a lot of cleavage, which was on show for everybody to see. She also wore a very, very short skirt, along with 6 inch heels, bringing her to Sherlock's height, if not a little bit taller. As she finally paid attention to her face, she realised that it was Mitzi Faradday, one of the most well known actors in England, and not in a good way.

Over the years of her acting career, she had had many a scandal, mostly along the lines of cheating on her then-boyfriends or getting high on drugs and then parading around the streets of London...naked. To say that she wasn't the best role model for young children would be a very big understatement.

And by the looks of it, Georgia wasn't the only shocked one in the room. Both John and Greg were looking over at the couple with wide eyes and an open mouth too. The rest of the excavation team were trying to look anywhere _but_ the lip-locking couple, and Georgia decided that she should probably look away too. But, she just couldn't wrap her head around the scene before her.

"I'm sorry, Sherlock, but are we missing something?" John said, with a slight hint of anger in his voice, followed by utter confusion and astonishment. The couple pulled away, Mitzi giggling to herself as she attached herself onto Sherlock's arm, his hand sliding to wrap around her waist.

"No...oh, yes, I suppose you are, but that's my fault, really. John, Greg, meet-"

"Yes, Sherlock, we know who she is. What John was asking is why she's here, and what she's doing with _you_." Sherlock stood there for a moment, trying to figure out what to say, but Mitzi quickly spoke before he could utter a word.

"Oh, is his girlfriend not allowed to visit him at work?" She said, batting her eyelashes at the two men. As Mitzi couldn't see Sherlock's face, he took the chance to break out of character for a minute, rolling his eyes at her words before claiming back his love struck 'state'. As soon as the other's, including Georgia, had seen his little facade, they knew exactly what was going on. He was clearly using her for something.

The only difference was that John and Greg knew exactly what his plans were, but Georgia didn't. What Georgia did know, was that John was not happy with Sherlock right now. She could clearly see that Sherlock had done this before, and that it must not have ended well.

"Yes, of course you are. You're welcome any time, babe." As the word came from Sherlock's mouth, he rather spat it than said it. Georgia could tell that he was torturing himself, both applauding him for his dedication to his work, and desperately trying not to pee her pants from holding in her laughter at his act.

As all this was happening, Donovan had walked into the room, and was now looking at the couple with a disgusted expression. "Freak has a girlfriend? And freak number two happens to be _her?_ "

As Georgia made eye contact with John, they both simultaneously burst out laughing, shocking both the couple and the rest of the excavation team. "I- I'm sorry, I know there's nothing funny here, but...?!" Georgia couldn't breathe because she was laughing so much, and John had nearly passed out and had currently gone red in the face, bending over to try and stop laughing.

Eventually, the laughter subsided, and by that time Mitzi had gotten bored, so she gave Sherlock a sloppy kiss on the cheek and flounced out of the room in a huff. When she was out of sight, Sherlock then proceeded to wipe every part of himself that Mitzi had touched, shivering slightly, which sent the two into another fit of laughter, this time joined by Greg and Sherlock.

"What does she have to do with your case, then?" Sherlock's laughter stopped as soon as he heard Georgia speak, a look of confusion clouding his face.

"How do you know that I'm using her for a case?" Georgia shrugged at his question.

"It was obvious. As soon as John figured it out for himself, he looked angry, most likely angry at you using someone for a case, because he doesn't agree with it, as well as you expressing your utter disgust of the woman as soon as she was gone or when she wasn't looking. I also know that this isn't your first time doing it, because while John looked surprised he also looked exasperated, which I expect is a constant feeling when you're around." All three of the boys looked over at Georgia in astonishment, while she just looked at them, confused. "What?"

As soon as the initial shock wore off, Sherlock spoke up again. "I'm going to ignore that last part."

"Oh, you shouldn't. I really wasn't joking, you know." At this, John and Greg snorted laughter, while Sherlock sent them a death glare.

"I think she's got that spot on, Sherlock. She's quite good. Maybe we should have you on the force." Now it was Sherlock's turn to snort laughter.

"She may not be a goldfish, but she's not that good." 


	5. It's for a case

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sherlock and Georgia converse before she finally goes home. Sherlock gets her number from Greg.

**Once the excavation was completed,** Georgia could finally head home after a long day. She had not expected to be so busy after just getting back from Egypt, but crime waits for no one. All she wanted to do now, was go home and sleep. Luckily, the day's events had kept her busy, so she was less focused on trying to beat her jet lag than she would have been had she had nothing to do all day.

One thing that had intrigued her that day was the detective, Sherlock Holmes. Georgia found it weirdly fascinating how he conducted his work, and also highly amusing when it came to the little play he had put on for his 'girlfriend'. Although she did not know what he was up to, she found the fact that he clearly didn't have any experience in the relationship department hilarious.

As Georgia had finished packing away the last of the equipment, she wandered back over to the house, where Sherlock was standing there, speaking to one of the officers, no doubt giving orders or chastising him over his idiocy, which Georgia had found out he did often. Not that she could blame him, she did have to admit that most of the police force were extremely naive most of the time.

Georgia had taken a particular disliking to one of the officers, Donovan. You could likely guess why that was, and she definitely hadn't made the best impression, when the first thing to come out of her mouth was calling Sherlock a 'freak', which Georgia thought was extremely uncalled for, and most definitely not true from what she'd witnessed.

Once Sherlock had finished speaking to the officer, he turned around and started off in the direction of Georgia. She wasn't sure if he was actually coming over to talk to her, or if he was just passing by her. But when he slowed down to a stop next to her, she was surprised that he had noticed that she was there, after all, she wasn't anyone important.

"So, what's it like?" She asked him, after both of them stood there in silence for a good two minutes.

"Hm?" He looked over at her, confusion evident on his face, something that Georgia thought was not an often occurrence. "What are you talking about?"

"What's it like living in a world surrounded by idiots?" As she asked the question, she looked up to Sherlock, who was also looking down to her, slightly taken aback at her question, but hid it well, nonetheless.

"Well, wouldn't you know, Miss Brown? After all, you're hardly an idiot yourself." Georgia was not expecting this response, and struggled for something to say. "Oh, please don't tell me you think that you're as bad as those lot in there?" He paused for a minute. "You may not be as clever as me, but you're not stupid." Georgia scoffed at this as Sherlock started to walk back towards the house, and over to Lestrade.

"No, and I suppose that nobody could be as clever as you, could they?"

"No, but you're the closest anyone's come." The corner of Sherlock's lip twitched up slightly, something that he found happening more over the day, but ignored it nonetheless and strode over to Lestrade. "Gavin, I trust that you will send me any more leads that come up?" Greg sighed at the use of the wrong name, but decided to ignore it as usual.

"Yes, Sherlock, I will. It seems that you've been getting on better without the forensics team here. Maybe I should call up the Archaeology department more often, and get Donovan a transfer if it makes you this easy to work with every time." Sherlock scoffed.

"I am not difficult to work with, Scotland Yard are the difficult ones." Lestrade rolled his eyes, already used to Sherlock's opinion on his work force.

"Yeah, yeah, I know." They stood in silence for a moment, looking out onto the fields that were now darkened by the night sky. Just as Lestrade was about to bid Sherlock goodnight, he spoke up.

"Greg?" He asked, shocking him so much that he had to do a double take in Sherlock's direction.

"Y-yes? What is it?" Greg knew that it must have been something important if Sherlock had actually bothered to use his first name correctly.

"Do you think you would be able to give me Miss Brown's contact information?" He questioned while looking in the direction of Georgia's car, where she was sat inside, on the phone with someone.

"You want her number? My god, does Sherlock Holmes have a crush?!" Lestrade started to tease him, but Sherlock cut it short by sending the Inspector a glare. If looks could kill...well, Lestrade would have been dead long ago. "Alright, alright, fine. I'll give you her number."

As Greg was searching through his phone, John shouted from the taxi that he'd managed to pull over, although how he'd managed to do so in such a cut off area, he had no idea. "Hey, Sherlock you coming?"

"I'll be there in a minute, John, tell him to wait!" Sherlock shouted back over, starting to get annoyed at what was taking Greg so long. After another minute, he had finally found the number, and showed Sherlock the screen so he could memorise it. "Thank you, Gavin. That will be all."

As he strode off, Greg shouted back to him. "Be nice to her, call her! It'll do you some good to talk about something other than work sometime." John found himself confused at what Greg had shouted to Sherlock.

"Sherlock? What does he mean by that?"

"Nothing, John. Nothing at all." As the cab pulled away from the side of the road, Sherlock looked out of the window, catching Georgia's gaze through the glass. She raised her hand slightly in a farewell, Sherlock mirroring her.

All the while, both John and Lestrade had seen the interaction, one of them confused, the other one standing with a smirk on his face, knowing exactly what was going to play out. Hopefully.


	6. Hesitance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sherlock is hesitant to use Georgia's number - but he may not have to.

**For hours, he had been sat there, staring at the number.** After himself and John had got home last night, Sherlock wrote down the number that he had ran through his head countless times, convincing himself that he was going to use it. _But what would I say?_ That was the problem. He could hardly just phone her up for a chat. No, that would be ridiculous. _Hi, you caught my eye at that crime scene yesterday, but I was too up myself to start a proper conversation._ In reality, that was true, but it's not like he was going to admit that out loud. As he said, he was too up himself.

Inhaling deeply, Sherlock broke his hard stare from the slip and looked around the room for his partner. "John?" A couple of seconds, and no response. Considering it was ten-thirty in the evening, much to his surprise, he figured that his friend was most likely on another one of his dates. Sherlock didn't know why John bothered anymore. Every single one of his dates had failed, and he wasn't sure how long his flat mate could keep going. It was quite alarming, the rate he was going through women, and soon there would be no single women left that he hadn't dated, within a ten mile radius. But maybe John was unknowingly setting himself up for failure. An army doctor just returned from the war, still craving excitement, not routine nor a dull life. If one of his dates actually turned into a full fledged relationship, could he last that long without something different in his life? Yes, there was the excitement that Sherlock provided him each time his phone rung with a new case, but John would surely go mad if he had to spend the rest of his life committed to one woman. She would have to be an assassin to keep him on his feet.

Slowly standing from his place at the table in the dimly lit front room, Sherlock stretched his arms above his head, moving properly for the first time since around lunch time. His thoughts went back to the case at hand as he ambled over to the 'evidence wall', which was simply lots of sheets and photos stuck to the black and white wallpaper above the leather sofa which rested against the same surface. Even though the case was already practically solved, seen as they already had their murderer, it was the matter of motive which irritated Sherlock. He knew exactly _how_ , _where_ , and _when_ the despicable man had done it, but he craved to know more. What went through his head when he decided to take the life from those innocent people? But his thinking was interrupted by a low buzz from the table. As he picked up the device, the screen projected an unknown number, one which Sherlock did not recognise. Contemplating for a minute, he finally decided to swipe the green button to the right, and held his phone up to his ear. "Sherlock Holmes."

"Ah, thank goodness I got the right number. That would have been awkward," a voice chuckled from the other end of the line. "This is Georgia Brown, from the Museum of London's Archaeology department, I'm not sure if you remember me from-"

"Yes, yes, I know who you are, don't worry. It's hard to forget someone who made such an impression upon first meeting." Sherlock could almost hear Georgia blush through the phone line, which, for reasons unknown to him, made him perk up. In fact, he felt a little impulse to jump around the room in excitement. If she hadn't contacted him, then he probably would have convinced himself to leave it, which he most certainly didn't want to do. This also prompted Sherlock to wonder how Georgia got his phone number in the first place, but just silently thanked whoever gave it to her.

"Right," Georgia felt at a loss of what to say as she sat at her desk, the information from the crime scene analysis spread out in front of her. She knew that she phoned for a reason, that reason being to inform Sherlock about what her team had found, but she found it hard to think of the correct words to come out of her mouth. _This man is making me go crazy,_ "so we got the results back, and it turns out the bodies are far older than the man is claiming, meaning either he's lying about when he killed them, or there are more bodies somewhere else."

"You may be right. I'll phone Lestrade, see if I can talk to him. Do you know how they were killed?" Georgia sighed from the other end of the line.

"It was clearly a brutal death, considering I could work it out from just their bones alone. All of the victims were brutally raped, which is shown from their fractured pelvises, and during or afterwards, they were strangled so tightly their necks snapped." There was a minute of silence on both ends, as both Sherlock and Georgia imagined what it must have been like for the victims. Even Sherlock, who normally wouldn't be phased by such a murder, was slightly shocked at the information.

"I'll let Lestrade know." He said in a quiet voice. Georgia must have caught on, because she jumped in to assure him.

"They wouldn't have been struggling long, so at least it wasn't as bad as it could have been, had he dragged their deaths out. Just remember it could have been so much worse." After a conversation like this, there wasn't really anything that could be said it lighten the mood. "I have to go and sort out the bodies so they can be shown to the families, so I'll leave you to inform Lestrade."

Just as Sherlock was about to lower the phone from his ear, he spoke up at the last minute. "Goodnight, Georgia."

"Goodnight, Sherlock."


	7. Isolation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sherlock has stopped answering Georgia's calls, so she goes to visit him at Baker Street.

**Once again, the call went to answerphone.** Georgia had now been trying to reach Sherlock for three days, and so far she hadn't been able to get through to him once. She was starting to get tired of hearing his voicemail message, which was just a monotonous recording Sherlock had set of him basically telling people to bugger off unless they had something important to say, which was such a _him_ thing to do. Even though Georgia hadn't known him long, she knew what he was like from the things she had heard about him in newspapers and interviews.

Sitting at the glass desk in her open plan high tech lab, which also had five more desks for her employees, Georgia tapped the pads of her fingers on the transparent surface, contemplating whether or not to phone the Inspector in order to ask for Sherlock's address. _Surely it couldn't do any harm to just check up on him?_ After more contemplating and one sided debates in her head, she picked up her iPhone and scrolled through her contacts, stopping at _Greg Lestrade._ Georgia put the phone up to her ear and waited for it to start ringing, and as soon as it did, immediately considered putting it down. But just as she had her doubts, he answered.

"Georgia! What can I do for you?" _Well, there's no turning back now, is there?_

"Hey, Greg. I was just wondering if I could possibly have Sherlock Holmes' address?" She paused for a minute before hurrying to add that she wasn't a stalker. "It's just that he isn't answering his phone, and the last time I spoke to him was when I told him about the causes of death, which as I'm sure you know, were fairly horrible." Georgia held her breath, waiting for his response. The last thing she wanted to do was embarrass herself in front of him, especially if she was to work with Scotland Yard again.

"Of course you can, but beware, he may not be the most polite if he's immersed in the case. Sometimes his work can get in the way of being sociable, and I wouldn't want you to get the wrong impression of him." Georgia exhaled in relief, _he doesn't think I'm a weirdo, hallelujah!_

"Thank you, Greg. I have an idea of what he's like, but it takes a lot to put me off." Greg gave Georgia the address, and they hung up fairly soon after, with the latter setting off to meet the Consulting Detective. As Georgia drove to 221B Baker Street, which is where she had been informed to go, she wondered if Sherlock would be welcoming, or if he would turn her away. Getting closer to her destination, more doubt crept into her mind, _surely he wouldn't want to see me? If he wasn't answering his phone, then it probably meant that he wanted to be left alone._ Before she could convince herself to turn around, she shoved all of those thoughts out of her mind, and turned onto Baker Street.

For a couple of minutes, she sat inside her car, looking at the black door through her tinted window. _There's no backing out now, is there? I have to go in there now I'm here._ Reluctantly, she heaved herself out of the 4-by-4, locking it before ambling up to the flat. As she got right up to the door, she noticed that the golden knocker in the middle had been tilted to the right, so when she reached up to the brass, she straightened it before knocking it on the wood three times. She stuck her hands in her pockets as she waited, feeling the cold bite at her bare skin, _well this weather certainly isn't something I missed while I was away._

After a couple of seconds, the door swung open, and Georgia was greeted by none other than Mitzi Faradday, famous actor and Sherlock's 'girlfriend'. Georgia couldn't get over the amount of makeup that was caked all over this woman's face, and she most certainly felt sorry for Sherlock, as she had no doubt that he had to kiss her gloss smeared lips more than once a day. "Hi, I'm here to see Sherlock? I brought over some files that he needs for his work, and I also wanted to check up on him, seen as he wasn't answering any of my calls." As Georgia said this out loud, she realised how weird that must have sounded, but didn't correct herself, especially not in front of Mitzi.

"I'm sorry, but he isn't seeing anyone right now, he's too busy. But I can take those for you and give them to him-" Mitzi reached for the files, but Georgia pulled them away from her grasp before she could grab them.

"No, I think it's better if I took them up to him myself." Deciding she wasn't going to take anymore bullshit from the ditsy dolled-up drama queen, Georgia stepped up into the flat and pushed past Mitzi, guessing that Sherlock's flat was upstairs. _Lucky guess,_ she thought as she could see the detective through the crack in the door. As she approached the door to what looked to be the living room, Sherlock spoke up, not bothering to turn his back, assuming that whoever was there was unimportant, aka Mitzi.

"Who was it?" He asked. Georgia didn't answer, instead taking a moment to look around the room as she fully stepped into it. She found herself pleasantly surprised at the room's decor, thinking that the detective would be much more of a minimalist than a hoarder of sorts as the room portrayed him to be. "I said, who wa-" Sherlock stopped mid-sentence as he turned around. "Georgia?" Said woman quickly shifted her gaze from the mirror above the fireplace to the man sat in the middle of the room, papers, photos and post-it notes surrounding the spaces around him.

"Hi, Sherlock." There was silence for a few seconds, _come on you clot, say something! Anything!_ "I just thought I'd come round to drop these off," she said as a hand lifted the files. "Also, you weren't answering your phone, so I just wanted to come and check on you, since I hadn't heard from you after...well, you know." Sherlock nodded, before turning his torso around to face the door, making sure that Mitzi wasn't within earshot. Sherlock could faintly hear her and Mrs Hudson talking in the flat downstairs, a part of him thankful that he wasn't bothering her, another part feeling guilty that Hudders had to endure that wrath all on her own.

"This side case, the one that I'm using Mitzi for, is exhausting. Do you know how hard it is to pretend that you're even the _tiniest_ bit interested in someone that repulses you constantly? Because that is exactly what is happening right now. She," Sherlock gestured to the direction of the staircase, "wouldn't let me answer any of your calls because she felt that 'she had competition', and she didn't want to have to compete for my attention. Obviously I had to go along with it, but not for much longer. As soon as I get enough evidence on her brother, she is gone."

There was silence for a minute, before he spoke up again. "So in short, sorry for not answering, I was a little tied up, as you now know." Georgia chuckled lightly, the faintest of blushes appearing on Sherlock's cheeks at the sound, which he immediately tried to cover up by turning back to his work. "What did you need?"

"Oh, right, that!" Georgia finally got to hand the manilla folder over to Sherlock. As he grasped one end, he felt his fingers lightly brush over hers, making goosebumps appear on both of their skin. Sherlock was happy to know that it wasn't just him that had that reaction, but slowly pulled away, wanting to keep the contact for as long as possible, until he had to face Mitzi again.

What a day it's going to be.


	8. Wow.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sherlock asks Georgia a risky question.

"Sherlock!" Came the nasally voice from downstairs. Georgia and Sherlock had been talking for around half an hour about the case, eventually moving onto small talk, and it was safe to say that Sherlock - even though he hadn't known her long - was very intrigued by Georgia.

When Mitzi called up to Sherlock for the second time, he rolled his eyes and stood up reluctantly from his place next to Georgia, and walked over to the door.

"What is it?"

"Come and give your baby some love!" At this, Sherlock visibly shivered, making the most disgusted expression Georgia thought was possible. She giggled slightly, making Sherlock turn to her, smiling softly.

"Do you want to go out for dinner tonight?" Sherlock asked suddenly. Georgia kept her head down, looking at the work, assuming that he was talking to Mitzi. When there was no response from her, she looked up to see Sherlock looking directly at her.

"Wait, me? What about Mitzi?"

"That's hardly a valid question. I've figured out her case, so I don't need her anymore, and seen as I'm soon to be single - I figured why not try my chances with someone I'm actually interested in."

Georgia froze for a second - _Sherlock is interested? In me?!_

"Uh - I - sure." What did she have to lose? Nothing, really. "I'd love to go to dinner with you, Sherlock."

"Perfect."

━━━━━━━━

That Evening...

━━━━━━━━

At precisely eight o'clock, Sherlock rang the silver doorbell placed next to Georgia's front door. To say Sherlock was nervous wasn't quite the right way to describe how he was feeling.

It was more...confusion.

He wasn't quite sure why he had asked Georgia out to dinner so suddenly, but he definitely didn't regret it. Now that he was single, he was going to make use of it. Sherlock would be lying to himself if he didn't admit that since the day he'd met her, he was instantly intrigued by this woman. Probably even more so than The Woman.

Usually, he would feel a little bit of guilt after using someone in the way he used Janine, but it was a completely different story for Mitzi. Sherlock absolutely despised her. The most he'd done is kiss her, because he wasn't sure that he could do much more without wanting to throw up. Just because she's a celebrity, doesn't mean she's a nice one, which turned out to be true for quite a lot of them nowadays.

But the longer Sherlock was waiting outside, the more he found himself now becoming nervous. _Get a grip, Sherlock. You can do this. It's just two friends, having dinner._ He then stopped in his train of thought. Were they friends? What was this dinner? Before he could interrogate himself any longer, the black door opened to reveal a different Georgia than the ones he had witnessed. Standing there nervously fumbling with her black dress, she suddenly felt very self conscious under Sherlock's analysing gaze. He had only seen her in either work clothes or blue overalls at the crime scene, so to see her looking so pretty, stood there on the doorstep, well, it was a new feeling for him.

As for Georgia, well you can guess how she was feeling. After she had left Sherlock's house, she assumed that he'd broken up with Mitzi, which left her feeling at ease, but she couldn't quite pinpoint why. She'd thought long and hard about what to wear, and considering she rarely went out to dinner or to any formal events, she came to the conclusion that she would need to shop for something new. So when she walked into Debenhams on her local high street, she walked straight over to the party dresses, and started her search. Luckily, it only took her a matter of minutes to find the perfect dress. It was black, figure fitting, with short sleeves and went down to just below her knees.

After a couple of seconds, Sherlock's gaze softened, which calmed her racing mind a little, but did nothing for her heart, which was rapidly trying to escape her chest.

"You look...wow." Sherlock found himself at a loss for words, which didn't happen often, as you could probably guess. As John had said, he's Mr Punchline. He would outlive God trying to have the last word. But it seemed that Georgia had rendered him speechless.

"Is that a good thing or a bad thing?" She asked him, stepping out of her apartment. As she did so, she stepped into the light, revealing her face in more detail, and suddenly, Sherlock's words weren't the only things that had been taken from him. It seemed his ability to breathe normally had also vacated his body.

"Definitely...de-definitely good." He breathed. And in all honestly, nobody could blame him for acting this way. For the past three months, the only woman that he had done this with had been Mitzi...I think that's all that needs to be said. Also the fact that under the street lights, Georgia looked absolutely stunning. Sherlock reminded himself that 'beauty is a construct based entirely on childhood impressions, influences and role models', but then found himself completely throwing that out of his mind, because nothing could convince him that Georgia wasn't probably the most beautiful woman he'd ever seen or had the pleasure to meet.

"Thank you. I must say, you're looking very handsome yourself tonight." Georgia took a chance to say as she blushed a light pink.

"And thank you for not calling me cute or sweet or adorable." Both of them shared a laugh as Sherlock hailed a cab to take them to the restaurant he had picked out for the night. He could only hope that he wouldn't mess up.


	9. Dinner

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sherlock and Georgia go out for dinner.

"So, Archaeology?" Sherlock questioned as he took a sip of his red wine. Since they had sat down, the conversation between them had been flowing relatively smoothly, and Sherlock was glad that he could speak normally with Georgia, and not feel like he had to hide who he really was. Which - in reality - was a man with a lot of opinions. In turn, Georgia was glad that she could speak to Sherlock without the nervousness that usually enveloped her in situations like this.

"What about it?" She replied, smirking. She was slightly confused - where was he going with this?

"Why did you choose it? With a mind like yours, you could've easily done something much higher paying than being a forensic archaeologist." Georgia paused before she answered - that was the second time Sherlock had complimented her 'mind' since they'd met, and she was quite sure he didn't do that often, if at all. It was a breath of fresh air for her, as compliments were only paid to her about her appearance.

"I've always been into archaeology, ever since I was old enough to understand it. Every chance I had, I learned more. That meant tons of archaeology books, the princess stories went straight in the bin," Georgia laughed, "but when I had to decide what to do in university, my parents suggested going into something more practical than just simple archaeology, something that would be more rewarding and worthwhile. Then, that lead me to Forensic Archaeology. I'm so happy that my parents convinced me to do something different, otherwise I would currently be stuck looking at old dinosaur bones." Both Sherlock and Georgia shared a laugh, and she took a moment to admire how nice he looked when he laughed, when he was relaxed.

"So what was this whole thing with Mitzi, then? I mean, you just don't seem like the type to care about relationships, and it was clear that you were using her for something, I know that much. But when she walked into the crime scene that day, John didn't seem too surprised that she was there after a couple of minutes." Sherlock sighed, getting ready to explain the situation.

"It's a long story, but the Maid of Honour at John and Mary's wedding, Janine, was the personal assistant of someone I was trying to take down, so I faked a relationship with her so that I could get into his office. John especially didn't approve when I proposed to her." Georgia's eyes widened, and Sherlock continued. "She eventually found out that I was using her after I'd been shot, a-"

"-wait, you were shot?!" Georgia asked incredulously. "How long ago was this?"

"Oh, a while ago. About, seven months?" Georgia nodded, and gestured for him to continue. "So after that, she started doing Newspaper and TV interviews, you know, get a bit of money out of it. Well, I say a bit, she bought a cottage in Sussex-downs so she didn't do that bad. And I can't blame her, I did hurt her." Georgia agreed.

"Well, all I can say is that Mitzi deserved it...just a little bit." Georgia pinched her fingers together, where they were nearly touching, as Sherlock shrugged.

"She was a pain in my arse, _I_ should be making stories up about _her_ in the news." Georgia tried to hide her laugh by taking a sip of her wine, softly shaking her head. " _'Yes, well, Ms Faradday really was the most ghastly woman I've ever met. She smelled like rotten fish and she used an extreme amount of hideously pink lipgloss, which made me want to throw up every time I got within a ten metre radius of her. Not that you would have been able to see, as the alarming shade of red she always wears would blind you.'_ " Georgia couldn't hide the bout of laughter that came this time, as Sherlock smiled softly. He really couldn't believe that he was making her laugh, an actual, proper, genuine laugh.

"I mean, she would deserve it, I suppose. She really is a horrible woman."

"She most certainly is. Shall we get the bill?" Sherlock suggested, and Georgia agreed as he called over the waiter. Both of them were in a sort of daze, and as the evening had gone by, they found themselves entranced with one another. Sherlock was fighting an inner battle with himself, though. From Mycroft, he was always taught to ignore sentiment, that it had no value in life and that emotions in general, were pointless. But tonight, his mind _and_ his heart seemed to be thinking differently. Never before had Sherlock been so happy with someone's company, than he had been with Georgia's, except for John, but that was different.

John was his best friend, whom he'd met in a slightly darker time in his life. Only just being able to ween himself off the drugs, he'd been introduced to his now best friend by Mike Stamford, which he would be forever grateful for. And even though at the start, Mycroft had made his disapproval clear, even he couldn't fight the fact that he was glad Sherlock had someone to keep him on the right side of life. Even with the small slip ups, John had proven to be a very good friend.

Georgia, however, was slightly different. Sherlock had no doubt that she would do everything she could to keep him right, should she find out about his past with drugs, or if he were to take another fall into that hole. But at dinner that evening, Sherlock found that he could completely relax around her and he could, for once, take down the porcelain mask that he hides under every day.

The couple exited the restaurant after collecting their coats, and walked down the pavement side by side. When they reached the end of the road, Georgia turned to Sherlock. "Thank you, for tonight. I really enjoyed myself and it turns out you actually make quite good company." She teased, a small grin presenting itself on her face. Sherlock gave her a small smile in return, as she turned away to hail a cab.

When one finally pulled up, she gave the cabbie her address, opening the door. Sherlock walked over behind her, waiting to wave her off, but before she stepped into the car, she turned around. She looked at him for a minute, contemplating, before she stepped forward towards him and placed a kiss on his cheek. Slowly pulling away, her face still in close proximity to his, he boldly decided to close the gap and kiss her.

And he would be kidding himself if he said that it wasn't the best decision he'd ever made.

Her lips were so soft, gently moulding under his as she kissed him back, placing a hand on his arm as he laid one on her waist. Sherlock pulled away slowly, not wanting it to end, a smile on both of their faces as their foreheads rested against one another.

"Thank you." He whispered.

"What for?" Georgia whispered back, amusement in her voice.

"For this. For tonight." Georgia leaned back out of Sherlock's touch, his hand falling from her waist back and to his side, as she smiled at him, and got into the cab. As it drove away, he followed it with his eyes, savouring the sensation of her lips on his. 


	10. Nerves

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Georgia makes the next move, and discusses the latest happenings between them.

And after two days since that night, they were still reeling from the events. Georgia hadn't expected Sherlock to actually kiss her, but he did, and she loved it. When he had leaned in, all sorts of thoughts were going through her head. _Oh god, is he actually going to do it?!_ And then, he did. Georgia had been in the best mood since then; her employees looking at her funny after she skipped into the lab the morning after, and Donna bugging her about what had happened. Georgia had finally agreed to meet her for lunch to explain everything, because it was clear that Donna wasn't going to let it go.

As for Sherlock, he hadn't been able to focus on anything since that night. In a way, it was frustrating, but that was drowned out by the bliss he felt after deciding to just go for it. He knew how he felt about Georgia, something that he'd never felt for any other woman, so why wait when there was a perfectly good opportunity to do it? Of course, there was always that niggling voice in the back of his mind, one that told him she didn't feel the same way, that he would get rejected and called a freak, the taxi door slamming in his face. That was the scenario playing in his mind leading up to it, but he should have known better than to trust it.

Neither Sherlock nor Georgia had spoken to each other since, both overtaken by the nerves that came with the fear of rejection. That the other one would regret the kiss, and they wouldn't want to see them again. Once again, Sherlock was sat at the desk in his living room, now looking at the same number, but under Georgia's name on his phone instead of on a piece of paper.

"Screw it." He muttered under his breath, picking up the phone and pressing the call button. Why should he be this nervous? Exactly, he shouldn't be. The phone rang five times before there was an answer. Mainly because Georgia was completely freaking out over his name that had popped up on her phone just as she was examining skull fragments.

"Hey." _Keep it cool, Georgia. Don't let him hear you're nervous._

"Hi, I..." _Come on, say something Sherlock!_ "I was just wondering if you wanted to...get coffee, tomorrow?" He literally face palmed at this. _How_ ** _cliche_** _can one person get? What has happened to me?!_

"I— sure! I would love to, that would be great, yeah!" _Stop talking now, Georgia._ Sherlock smiled slightly to himself, he could tell she was nervous, but he wasn't judging, he was just better at hiding his.

"Great, I'll see you then." He said softly, the smile still prominent on his face.

"I'll see you then." She replied, unconsciously mirroring his smile.

━━━━━━━━

"Right, so I need details, main events - the whole shebang." As soon as Georgia had sat down with Donna, she had been pestered with questions about what happened and when.

"Calm down, I'll tell you everything. Just give me a second, okay?" Donna nodded, rolling her eyes in mock exasperation while Georgia prepared to tell her everything...well, almost everything. "So, he took me out to dinner at this really posh restaurant, it was so beautiful, almost as beautiful as him, but I mean, let's be fair - he is a Greek God, so it's kind of hard to beat that." Donna could just tell by the look on Georgia's face that she was smitten with this man. In all her years of knowing her, she'd never spoken about a man like this before. "We spoke about so much, and I learned so much about him that surprised me.

"Like - he plays the violin, he solved his first case when he was eight - which I was shocked by, actually, because..." Georgia rattled on about Sherlock for at least another hour before she finally finished, letting Donna take everything in, if that was even possible.

"So what you're saying is - you are basically in love with him." Georgia scoffed, taking a sip of her drink whilst diverting her eyes out of the window.

"No...I'm not in love with him, what gave you that idea?" Donna raised one eyebrow at her.

"The fact that you've been speaking about him for over an hour like he's the only thing to ever exist in your mind. Look - I've never heard you speak about anyone in that way; surely that's a sign that you like him a bit more than you say you do?"

Georgia sat there for a moment, thinking. _Do I love him? I mean, I've only known him for a little while, but this is Sherlock we're talking about, what's not to love about him?_ "Okay. So maybe you're right. Maybe I do...love him." Donna's eyes widened, but Georgia cut her off before she could speak. "BUT, I'm not sure if he'll feel the same way, not after such a short amount of time. From what I gathered yesterday, he's never even had a girlfriend before, so I don't think it'll go down well if I confess my love for him tomorrow."

"Wait - tomorrow? What's happening tomorrow?" Georgia mentally slapped herself - she wasn't meant to mention that. At least she could hide the kiss for a little longer; she wanted it to be something special between herself and Sherlock, just for now.

"He asked me for coffee tomorrow." Donna squealed quietly.

"What?! This is _amazing_! He definitely likes you!" Georgia smiled. _I think he does._

_━━━━━━━━_

Later that afternoon, Georgia finished work early and came home to play with Elio, her adorable munchkin fur ball. Of course, she got the name from her favourite move; Call me by your name. She was absolutely obsessed with Timothée Chalamet's character, so why not? Spending time with Elio always calmed Georgia's mind, and she especially needed it today - what with all of Donna's pestering about Sherlock. As she walked through the door, Elio instantly came running from the living room, rubbing against Georgia's leg as she closed the door.

"Hello baby," she cooed as she picked him up, cuddling him to her chest. She quite literally treated Elio as her child, and he was probably one of the most spoiled cats on earth. Not spoiled with luxury food or a massive castle for a house, but spoiled with love. Only the lucky ones get spoiled with her love, and Sherlock was starting to look like a winner.

Georgia sat down with the munchkin in her lap, and turned the television on, flicking through the channels until she stopped on an episode of Crimewatch, surprised by the fact that Sherlock was on it! She laughed incredulously, and reached for her phone out of her back pocket, calling him without a second thought.

"Hey! I didn't know you were on Crimewatch?!" She questioned.

"Oh that was ages ago, it's probably a repeat." She heard him chuckle through the phone. God, how she loved that noise. She then heard some other noises in the background, some hushed speaking. "Fine— yes, it's Georgia. W-why are you so surprised by that?" There was a pause. "Yes, yes I'll do it now!" She heard him huff a little - _classic Sherlock._ "Sorry about that - I'm with Lestrade at the moment and he wants you to come over - there's been a development on the case."

"Oh, right. I'll be right over. Your place, yes?"

"Yes, I'll see you soon."

"Bye." Georgia placed Elio on the sofa next to her. "Sorry, Mummy has to go to work again, I'll be back soon!"

━━━━━━━━

After Mrs Hudson has let her in, Georgia hurried up the stairs to Sherlock's flat, knocking on the door before opening it. "Hey, what is it then?"

"It turns out that there's six more bodies that we have to find. Lately we've been able to get more out of him, he's been quite willing to tell us everything. I'm not so sure about it - it seems a bit sketchy, but if it means that we can find all of his victims, then so be it." Georgia was shocked. 

"So, how many people do you think he's killed so far." Lestrade hesitated for a minute.

"Nine women, and two men."

"Serial Killer, then?" Sherlock nodded. "So what can I do?"

"We need you to find exactly where the bodies have been buried - he only gave us the rough location of them, which is annoying, but it's the best we're going to get."

"Where did he say they were buried?"

"Under an Amazon warehouse in Southwark. It's obviously still being used, which is going to make things harder."

"If you get everyone out, I'm sure I can have a go at trying to find them." Lestrade nodded, going back to some papers that were spread out on the desk.

"Georgia?" She turned around to see Sherlock gesturing into the kitchen. She narrowed her eyes, wondering what he was up to. When she reached the kitchen, he closed the doors behind her. "I just wanted to ask...was the...kiss, a mistake? I mean, do you regret it?" Georgia was about to answer, when the doors slid open.

"We've cleared the warehouse, let's go." Georgia turned back to Sherlock, giving him an apologetic look, before following Lestrade out of the flat.

━━━━━━━━

Even later that evening, Sherlock's phone rang from it's place on the mantelpiece. He got up from the table in the kitchen and made his way over to it, picking it up, to see that it was Georgia.

"Hel—"

"It wasn't a mistake."


	11. A Major Milestone

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Georgia and Sherlock have coffee, where he asks her an important question (even if it isn't worded the best...)

Rushing around her flat, Georgia was completely freaking out trying to find her phone while simultaneously trying to keep calm. As you may be able to tell; it wasn't working very well. Luckily, Georgia had taken the day off so that she could focus on the matter at hand - Sherlock. Yes, maybe taking a full day of was a bit of an overreaction, but so was running from room to room trying to find where she put her mobile. All of this was happening while Elio simply sat there, on the sofa next to Donna, watching her panic.

"You know, you could help me instead of just sitting there watching me struggle!" Georgia shouted to Donna, who was finding this all too funny.

"I would, but I'm afraid I don't want to give up this great entertainment." Said Donna, smirking slightly, leaning back on the sofa. Georgia gave her a death glare, before standing up straight, a smirk on _her_ face this time.

"How am I going to meet Sherlock if I never get out of this house?" Donna furrowed her eyebrows. "Think of all the godchildren you could have had by now. Tut tut." Donna immediately got up, walking over to Georgia's handbag on the opposite sofa. She reached her hand in, and pulled out Georgia's phone.

"I saw you put it in there when I first got here." Donna pursed her lips, trying to keep the laughter in, while Georgia banged her head against the nearest wall.

"I've been so stressed about everything that apparently I've become a complete dumb ass!" Donna laughed slightly, handing Georgia her phone, before picking up her stuff.

"Right, I'm off! Have fun, stay safe, use protection!" She said, ducking as a throw pillow came flying in her direction.

"We won't use protection; I thought you wanted Godchildren?" Georgia questioned teasingly.

"I'm too young to be a Godmother!" Donna dramatically called as she left the apartment. Georgia laughed, slipping her phone back into her bag, making sure to remember that she put it there, now feeling calmer than before. She was glad that she had a friend like Donna, because otherwise she would be a lot worse off than she was now.

Georgia grabbed her things and made her way out of the apartment, waving goodbye to Elio, who was still led out on the sofa. As she walked out of her flat building, the nerves that she had felt earlier started to creep back up, but she pushed them right back down. Why was there any need to be nervous? It's just coffee. _With the guy that you fancy...No, be quiet!_ She told herself, thankful for the breath of fresh air when she got outside.

The coffee shop they were meeting at wasn't far from her flat, but because of her pointless panicking, she was a little late, so she got her phone out and texted Sherlock.

**_I'm going to be a couple of minutes late, I hope that's alright :)_ **

She sent the message, just about to put her phone back when it buzzed almost instantly. She was surprised when she saw how quick Sherlock had replied.

**_Of course, it's fine. I'll be waiting :) -SH_ **

She laughed at his way of texting, so unusual, but it was unique. After braving the busy streets of London on foot instead of in her Land Rover, she finally reached her destination. The cafe was quaint, and it had a homey feel to it. She hoped that by choosing this place, they would both be a little less nervous, and the conversation would flow a little less awkwardly. Of course, it was bold of her to assume that Sherlock would be nervous at all, but she hoped that she wouldn't be alone in this feeling.

When she entered, the first thing she saw was that it was quite busy. She was relieved, thankful for the slight distraction. She feared that it would make things even more awkward if they were one of the only ones in there. As she searched around the crowded room, she spotted a figure sat at one of the back tables, a belstaff coat draped over the back of the chair. She also saw that there were two drinks on the table, meaning that one of those must be hers. It warmed her heart to know that he knew exactly what to get her, even though she can't be sure that she ever told him what she ordered.

Shuffling through the queue of people eager for their caffeine fix, Georgia made her way over to the secluded table, sitting down opposite Sherlock. He looked up from his phone, a smile spreading across his face as he pocketed the device.

"Sorry I'm late; there was a situation at home so I had to-"

"You lost your phone, didn't you?" Georgia sat there, gobsmacked.

"H-how did you know that?" Sherlock chuckled, taking a sip of his drink.

"Because your friend, Donna, as she introduced herself, texted me off of your phone, telling me to get a hold of myself and 'kiss the damn girl', if I recall correctly." He said, one eyebrow raised, as if questioning Georgia's choice of friends. And right now, he wasn't the only one doing that. Georgia face palmed, resting her head on the table while Sherlock laughed. "To be honest, she has a point."

Georgia slowly lifted her head up, a confused look on her face.

"What do you mean by that?" She questioned cautiously. She didn't want to make him think that she wasn't interested, but she also didn't want to get ahead of herself, just in case he didn't mean what she thought he meant.

"Well, I mean, I've already kissed the 'damn girl', but maybe I could do more than that." He answered mysteriously.

"And what would "more than that" entail?" By now, Georgia's body was malfunctioning. Her head was spinning slightly, her heart was hammering out of her chest, and god damn, this man was messing with her.

"Maybe the 'damn girl' would like to become my 'damn girlfriend'...?" He paused for a minute. "Okay, that didn't come out how I wanted it to, but you get the gist of what I'm trying to ask you."

Georgia didn't speak for a minute, and Sherlock was getting worried that maybe he had interpreted this situation wrong. Were they here for her to break it off? Well, whatever _this_ was.

"Yeah," Georgia spoke, breaking the silence, "I would like to be your damn girlfriend." They smiled at each other, finally having a label for whatever was going on between them. "But I do have one request..." Sherlock raised his eyebrow, prompting her to go on. "I want to keep it a secret, for a while at least. It's just that some of my other relationships were so rushed, which eventually led to their demise, so I just want to make sure that this one lasts."

Sherlock was glad to hear that she wasn't ashamed to be dating him, but he was even more happy to hear that she didn't want anything to compromise their relationship either. He cared so much for Georgia, and even though he hadn't known her for a particularly long time, he knew that he would do anything it took to keep her safe. To keep them safe.

After they'd established their new relationship status, they stayed in the cafe for an hour longer, talking about numerous cases they'd been on, and different experiments that both of them had conducted. Georgia was slightly confused as to why Sherlock did all of his experiments at home, instead of in a lab.

"Because I don't actually work for Scotland Yard or Barts, so I don't have a lab space that I can use whenever I want. I occasionally use my friend, Molly's lab when I'm analysing something for a case, but the rest I do at home."

"Well why don't you use my lab? I have a whole floor to myself full of high tech equipment that you could use, and I'm allowed to do whatever I want with it. I could give you a key card and you can come and go as you please." Sherlock was shocked that she had offered him something as big as that, and that she trusted him enough to give him his own key card.

"W-well yes, thank you. Th-that means a lot." He smiled over at Georgia, and she returned it. Both of them had a mass of Butterflies in their stomachs, and it definitely wasn't from the caffeine rush. No, this was from the adrenaline rush that both of them gave each other. When Sherlock smiles over at her, or looks at her in a particular way. And when Georgia laughs, or smiles at him adoringly.

Eventually, they decided to call it a day, having been in the coffee shop for over two hours now. As they walked outside, Sherlock slowly stopped Georgia just beside the door.

"So, when will I be seeing you again? Sometime soon, I hope." Georgia smiled at her boyfriend, feeling ecstatic that she could actually call him that.

"Yes, I expect you will. How about dinner tomorrow night?" Sherlock nodded, liking the idea of not having to wait long to see her again. He hesitated for a moment, wanting to do something but also not wanting to seem too forward. _What the hell, just do it. She is your girlfriend, after all._ So with that in mind, he slowly leaned down and kissed her softly, his thumb rubbing circles on her right cheek. Her left hand came to rest on top of his, mirroring his movements.

Pulling apart, they neither of them opened their eyes for a few seconds, wanting to bask in this euphoria. When they did, they both had massive grins on their faces.

"I'm so glad I can do that now." Sherlock spoke softly, going back in to kiss her again.


	12. Out of the Loop.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Greg interrupts a moment between Sherlock and Georgia, while he also learns of the development in their relationship.

Everything was going swimmingly. Since Sherlock and Georgia had established their relationship, it felt like a weight had been lifted off both their shoulders, and they could finally just be happy with one another. Even though they hadn't known each other for ages, they still knew each other well enough to be able to build a stable foundation for their relationship. 

They were also succeeding in their plan to keep this development from their friends, for now at least. Sherlock found that Georgia was right; it did feel much better to be able to keep this between them for a little while, as they were both settling into it. Sherlock had never been in a relationship before. Well, not a proper one, with real feelings and dinner dates and shared looks over the table, small kisses exchanged discreetly. 

But just because keeping their friends out of the loop was a good idea, doesn't mean it was an easy one. Both Sherlock and Georgia wanted to spend every minute of every day together, but they couldn't do that without looking suspicious. So Sherlock had to carry on solving his cases, and Georgia had to carry on excavating crime scenes and analysing new findings. 

Sherlock was already paranoid that at least John and Donna had figured it out, but Georgia was quick to reassure him that Donna would have said something by now, had she known, so that worry was quickly thrown away. 

At this current moment, both Sherlock and Georgia had been called to a crime scene in Richmond. It was convenient for them as they had already been together, participating in some...activities at Baker Street. Goodness, not that...but close. Before they left the flat, they made sure to tidy themselves up, god forbid that it looked like they were doing anything out of the ordinary. Greg had already been sightly suspicious when Sherlock had answered the phone out of breath. He had to make up some ludicrous lie that he had just fought a criminal inside his flat, as he'd already said that he was at home. 

I think that's what they get for keeping secrets. 

Even so, Sherlock could tell that Greg didn't believe a word that he'd said, as the moment he mentioned a new case, Sherlock suddenly got excited. _Why is he this excited if he already has a case?_ Greg thought to himself. But when both Georgia and Sherlock arrived at the crime scene at the same time, he instantly put two and two together. 

As they walked into the crime scene, which happened to be a a rotten cottage which was on it's way to completely collapsing, Greg caught up with the two of them, splitting them up and putting an arm around each of their shoulders. Obviously, he had to reach up a little to reach Sherlock's, but it worked nonetheless. 

"So, _guys,_ is there anything you want to tell me?" He said looking between the two of them, a massive grin occupying his face. Sherlock just scowled and looked away, shrugging Greg's arm off his shoulder, while Georgia's eyes widened, and she stopped walking.

"How do you know?!" She questioned, panic seeping into her voice. 

"It was hardly difficult to work out! I may not be Sherlock Holmes, but I know a couple when I see one. Also, Sherlock was out of breath when he answered the phone, and I did question it, after all, he was acting weirder than usual. And then, when I phoned _you,_ " he said, pointing at Georgia, "you were also quite out of breath too. Not as much, as you'd had time to calm down, clearly you didn't carry on whatever it is you were doing, but you were definitely doing something together." He finished, wiggling his eyebrows at the two. 

Both Sherlock and Georgia looked at each other, before sighing. 

"Okay Greg, you got us, but you can't tell _anyone_." Georgia stressed. "We don't want people knowing just yet, we just want it to be between us for a while, before everyone gets wind of it."

Greg thought for a moment, before nodding.

"Okay, I'll keep it quiet. But just know that I am really happy for you. Ever since Sherlock asked me for your number, I knew that something would happen." Sherlock smiled at Georgia a little, and she smiled back, unaware that Greg was watching the two of them with a sense of pride. 

Of course, even from the start, Greg knew that the chances of the consulting detective ever getting a proper girlfriend would be slim, and as soon as Mitzi walked into the basement on that case, he knew that she wasn't for real. But the way Sherlock looked at Georgia, even before they started officially dating set Greg's conclusions in stone. 

She was going to be the woman that changed everything. For the better. 


	13. Adventure.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Georgia pitches an idea to Sherlock after an exciting conversation with Donna.

Boring. That was one way to describe Georgia's day. All day long, there had been nothing to do. All the paperwork had been completed (thanks to three over-eager interns), and no cases had come in. In her seven years of working as a Forensic Archaeologist, she'd never had a day when there was nothing to do. 

But as she was absentmindedly spinning around in her desk chair, Donna suddenly burst into the room, rushing over to Georgia's desk. She slammed her phone down onto the glass, making Georgia jump, looking up at her best friend. 

"What is it? I would have preferred it if you hadn't given me a heart attack!" She said, holding her chest. 

"You'll never guess what." Donna stated, looking down at Georgia as she waited for her to say something. Obviously, she said nothing. "I said, you'll never guess what!"

"What?! I have no idea what you're talking about!" Donna huffed and rolled her eyes. "Mate, I'm not a mind reader!" 

"You know we were talking about that archaeology site in Albania, the one that dates back to 500 BC?" Georgia nodded, still confused as to where Donna was going with this. "Well, I've just had a call - they want to send you and someone of your choosing to Amantia to do some research for the National Geographic!" Georgia's eyes widened and for a moment, she didn't say anything. "Hello, earth to Georgia!"

"Sorry, I just...wow! I can't believe this!" Georgia jumped out of her chair, rushing around the room. "I have to call them back and thank them, this is...oh god, I can't wait! Do you have the details, when is it?" 

"Georgie, babe, calm down!" Georgia stopped for a minute as Donna put her hands on her shoulders. "Now, they want to send you as soon as possible, so preferably the end of this week-" Donna was cut off by Georgia squealing in delight. 

"I actually can't believe this! Okay, I need to get everything ready, and I need to go and speak to Sherlock, bye!" She rushed out of the door with her bag and coat in hand, leaving a very confused Donna in her office. 

"Why...oh, never mind."

━━━━━━━━

As Georgia pulled up to 221B Baker Street, she noticed that Dr Watson was already there. She was hoping to speak to Sherlock alone, but that didn't really matter at the moment. As soon as she had registered that Donna had said that she could bring another person, her mind instantly went to Sherlock. She knew it should have gone to Donna, after all, they were the ones that were speaking about Amantia in the first place, but all she could think about is spending as much time as possible with Sherlock. 

Georgia exited her car, locking it behind her and walking up to the door, letting herself in. After she'd started becoming a regular visitor to Baker Street, Mrs Hudson had suggested that she just let herself in, with her hip giving her troubles again, it would be much easier. And of course, Georgia hadn't objected, meaning that she could sneak in unnoticed. She hurried up the stairs, knocking on the door before slowly pushing it open. 

As she walked in, she could see that Sherlock and John were sat in their chairs, Rosie playing in the middle of the two. She had definitely grown since the last time Georgia had seen her, and she was becoming more beautiful as the days went by. She had never known Mary, but from the pictures she had seen, she knew that Rosie definitely bared lots of resemblance to her mother. 

"Ah Georgia, I was wondering when I'd next see you." She rolled her eyes. 

"Oh yeah, because it's not like you didn't-" She stopped herself just before her slip up, quickly remembering that John was also present. Sherlock raised one eyebrow at her, while she just narrowed her eyes at him. "Hi, John. How are you?"

"Y-yeah, I'm fine thank you. I- should we go? I feel like I've just interrupted something." Georgia was quick to reassure him.

"Oh no, John, it's fine! I just wanted to speak to Sherlock quickly, if that's alright?" She asked, gesturing towards the kitchen with her head. He nodded, getting up from his chair and crossing the room. Georgia followed, closing the doors behind her. "Hey." She said, smiling up at him. 

"Hi." He responded, somehow the two having a silent conversation with their eyes as they leaned in to kiss. Every time they kissed, it felt like the first time. Butterflies in their stomachs, a sort of dizzy feeling - a euphoria. Both Georgia and Sherlock adored the feeling, and once they started, they found themselves never wanting to stop. But luckily, both of them have a certain degree of self control, so they pulled away, smiling. "So what did you need? You seemed to be pretty rushed in getting here." He deduced. 

"So it was just a normal day at work," She started, sitting down with Sherlock at the kitchen table, "and by normal, I don't mean normal because there was _nothing_ to do, but that's besides the point. Donna came in, talking about how we had discussed an archaeology site in Albania a little while ago, and she said that there had been a phone call asking if I wanted to go with one other person to that archaeology site! Obviously I was so excited because this is a once in a lifetime opportunity, but I also payed attention to what Donna had said previously - I could go with one other person. So, that's the reason I'm here."

Sherlock sat there for a moment, processing what Georgia had just said.

"So basically - you want me to come to Albania with you to visit the site?" Georgia nodded, a half nervous, half excited look on her face. "Of course I'll come with you, I wouldn't miss it for the world." He said, smiling softly at her. If this was what made her happy, then he would do it. 

"Thank you so much!" She exclaimed, being careful to keep her voice semi-quiet as John was just in the next room. She threw her arms around Sherlock's neck, leaning into him as he wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her closer. He took every chance he could at being close to her, which was especially rare as they were hiding their relationship from everyone close to them. 

"No problem. I would do anything for you." And it's true. 

He would go to the ends of the earth her. 


	14. Udhetim i sigurt!  (safe travels!)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Donna and John find a photo at 221b, while Sherlock and Georgia make their way to Amantia.

Georgia doubted that she had ever been this excited in her whole life. Yes, there had been other exhibitions and excavations and historical sites, but this one was different. For years she had been dreaming of going to Amantia, but she never thought that she would actually get to experience it for herself. And she got to do all of it with Sherlock by her side, which was an added bonus. 

She had been so excited when Sherlock had surprised her by saying yes to going with her - of course, Georgia thought she was setting herself up for failure, because why would her boyfriend, the consulting detective, want to go to Albania to look at some old stones? Well, she was right. He didn't want to go and look at some rock stuck in the ground, but he knew how much this trip meant to Georgia, and although she could have gone with Donna, he also knew how much she wanted to go with him. So he couldn't bring himself to say no. 

And that is how Georgia and Sherlock ended up on a 3 hour flight to Albania. 

"Could you possibly sit still for more than five minutes?" Sherlock asked his fidgety girlfriend, who was currently unable to stop moving. 

"Sorry, I'm just so excited!" She looked up at him, smiling widely. Sherlock couldn't help but smile back - he loved seeing Georgia so happy, it always put him in a good mood, no matter what. 

That was another thing that Sherlock loved about Georgia - her ability to put him in a good mood without even trying, or knowing for that matter. Usually if he was in a bad mood, he would stay that way for days on end, ignoring people's calls and texts, just hiding away for a while. But ever since he had started dating Georgia, that had all changed. 

Even John had noticed it, and he didn't even know that they had started dating. But he had seen the change in Sherlock recently, and he was curious to know what had caused this sudden flick of a switch in his best friends mind to make him act . . . differently than before. Of course, he had his theories (at least one of them to do with his association with Georgia), but he couldn't be certain that it was down to any of his ideas. He would just have to wait and see. 

As for Donna, she too had noticed a change in Georgia. Usually, Georgia was in a good mood anyway, she wasn't one to mope around the office all day because there was no work (except for the odd couple of times), but it was still a surprise when for a whole week, Georgia had been coming into work almost floating mid-air because she was so happy. 

This is when John and Donna decided to join forces and work together to find out exactly what was going on. But little did they know, what they wanted to find out was right in front of them, _for Sherlock had made a little mistake._

It was four in the afternoon, and the two makeshift 'detectives' came together at Baker Street to discuss their friends. As soon as Donna had walked in, John had offered her tea, going through to the kitchen to put the kettle on as Donna walked into the living room, looking around at the messy space. 

"Organised mess, I assume?" She asked John as he walked into the room with two mugs, handing one to her. 

He nodded, walking over to one of the desk chairs, sitting down. He gestured for Donna to take his armchair, which she did gratefully. 

"So, there has to be something going on here. Surely we can't just be making a mountain out of a molehill. I mean, it's hardly a coincidence that they've both started to act differen-" Donna stopped before she finished, noticing a picture sticking out of a pile of Sherlock's work papers. 

Usually, it would be normal to have pictures all over the flat from various different cases, but this one looked like it had been hidden on purpose. 

"Well, well, well, what do we have here?" She wondered, getting up and walking over to the desk. She pointed to the picture and looked towards to John. 

"I have no idea what that is. I didn't notice it before, but it's definitely not mine . . ." Donna slowly pulled out the picture from under the papers, gaping at what she saw. 

"Well. There's definitely something going on between the two of them, that's for sure." 

The picture was one of Sherlock and Georgia, cuddled together at what looked to be the cinema. It had been taken from below them, Georgia clearly trying to get a good mugshot of Sherlock, and it didn't work, because as always, Sherlock looked cute anyway. Donna laughed at the funny faces that the both of them were pulling, while John just looked at it in astonishment. He had never seen that side of his best friend before, and it was certainly a change to his usually cold demeanour. 

Georgia had been disappointed that she hadn't got her mugshot, but she loved the picture nonetheless - neither of them looked that bad either, so she had gone straight to the photo shop as soon as the film had finished and printed out the picture twice - one for her, and one for Sherlock. 

She had also told Sherlock to hide the photo, just in case anyone were to find it. And he was planning on doing so, had Greg not come in just as he was looking at it. So he quickly shoved it under a pile of papers, forgetting that it was even there. 

And that was how the photo had ended up here, in Donna and John's hands; the first bit of evidence. 


	15. Aphrodite.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sherlock and Georgia arrive in Amantia, and they share a special first experience.

Even though the clouds had taken over the sky in Amantia, Georgia felt as though she was walking on sunshine. She couldn't actually believe that she was here, and with Sherlock nonetheless. As soon as the couple had landed, Georgia had been rushing around everywhere, trying to see everything within their first day of being there, despite Sherlock telling her to slow down and to take things in. They were there for a week after all. 

As well as spending time inspecting the architecture and taking notes for her article, Georgia also wanted to spend some quality time with Sherlock. They had only just got away without being suspected too much, but now they were finally on their own for a little while, they could be together without having to look over their shoulders every time they stand within a metre of each other just in case someone made an assumption. 

Currently, the couple were unpacking their belongings in their hotel room, which was surprisingly lavish considering they were in quite a desolate area. The room had one double bed in the middle, a fact that they were going to keep to themselves, and a large wooden wardrobe opposite. To the left of the bed was a door that led through to the en-suite which was stark white and so clean that you could see your reflection in the ceramic sink. 

The room had a homey feel to it, and it made Georgia calmer about being away from home. When she had been in Egypt, everything kept piling up on her all the time; William not doing his job, being away from home and the excavation not going as planned. But here, she knew she would be able to relax and enjoy her time. 

"So, what do you think?" She asked her boyfriend, turning to face him after she'd put her suitcase under the bed. Sherlock looked up at her from his phone, probably solving the odd case from his inbox. 

"It's nice. I didn't think the hotel would be as nice as this, but then again; it is the National Geographic." She laughed, walking over to him as he turned his attention back down to his phone. She came to stand in front of him, slowly taking the device out of his hand and setting it down on the bedside table. 

"Yes, my dear?" He asked, wondering why she had interrupted his crime solving. She smiled at him, leaning down to kiss him. He instantly responded, placing his hands on her hips and pulling her onto his lap. Both of them knew where this was going, and they would be lying if they didn't say that they were slightly scared. It was the first time for both of them, and neither Georgia nor Sherlock had much experience in that department. But Sherlock had half predicted that this would happen here, so he had done some research in preparation.

Thinking about it for hours on end, one evening he had decided to learn some things that would able him to pleasure her. He didn't want either of their first time to be disappointing, and he also didn't want to embarrass himself, so now that they were in this position, he was glad that he had thought it through beforehand. 

━━━━━━━━

"So when are you going to start research for your piece?" Sherlock asked, walking hand in hand down the street with Georgia. After their little rendezvous in the hotel room, they had decided to go and get some dinner, the event building up an appetite for them both. Georgia had to take in a little slow, still sore from their activities, but definitely not regretting them. At. All. 

She had to admit, she'd never thought about what Sherlock would look like naked, but she could now say that she never would have imagined him having such a hot body. Of course, she knew that he was in shape, but what surprised her was the beginnings of a six pack, and very, _very_ strong arm muscles. She knew this had also been his first time, but god was he experienced. She knew that he would have done some reading on the subject, but she wondered just how he'd acquired said information. 

Obviously he wouldn't have gone to John to ask - that would have prompted more questions as to why he was asking. That meant that he would have had to look everything up on the internet; she imagined that he had fun doing that, especially with the internet these days - you can find anything. She was surprised that what he saw didn't put him off, rather made him more eager to put his new found skills to use. 

"We'll visit the first sight tomorrow. I really can't wait to get started - this is going to be so fun!" Georgia replied, smiling up at Sherlock. 

That following day, they had visited the acropolis, specifically the Doric style temple dedicated to Aphrodite, the goddess of Love. Georgia found the temple fascinating, and even Sherlock couldn't deny that the remains of the temple were quite spectacular. It had been built in the 3rd century B.C, which is crazy to think about how long ago that really was, and how there were still remains of what people had built there. 

Even though crime and law was Sherlock's speciality, he had a new found interest in History from this trip, and decided to start paying attention to more of Georgia's work - after all, he had never had a real girlfriend before, and if Georgia was the only one he was going to have, he wanted to make it work. 


	16. Tired?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Georgia and Sherlock return from Amantia. John and Donna spy in on an interaction between the couple outside 221b.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I must say, this has to be one of my favourite chapters! Enjoy :)

Sherlock and Georgia were finally on their way back to London after one blissful week in Amantia, and everything had been successful. Georgia was able to collect enough research material to write her article for the National Geographic while also spending time with Sherlock, and he was able to provide himself with some time off from his usual schedule full of dead bodies and murderers to be able to relax slightly.

But as much as he'd enjoyed these past seven days, he had to admit that the thought of getting back to what he loved doing best made his heart beat a little faster every time he thought about it - or. . .was that every time he looked at Georgia? Maybe both. We'll never know.

As their flight landed back in England, the couple started gathering their things, glad to be back home on cold, wet soil. No doubt Georgia's archaeology team would be glad to have them back (especially Donna after Georgia put her in charge while she was away). Exiting the plane, Georgia yawned loudly, making many people around her now aware of how tired she was, and what she had for breakfast.

"Tired?" Sherlock questioned, throwing her a teasing smile.

"Yeah, flying always makes me drowsy, especially when we've landed in God's tear bath." She scoffed a laugh at her attempted humour, watching as Sherlock rolled his eyes, trying to fight a smirk off his face, even though Georgia knew that she'd managed to humour him at least a little.

"Well, it's a good job we're going straight home." Sherlock agreed, walking through the airport, dragging his carry on with him.

"Thank god for that. The thought of my bed is making me drool. . ." She trailed off, getting lost in thoughts about sleeping, while simultaneously trying not to fall asleep standing up.

As they were making their way to Georgia's car which they'd left parked at the airport, Sherlock looked at Georgia sceptically.

"Are you sure you're going to be able to drive me back and then make it home without falling asleep behind the wheel?" He questioned, worried that she would get herself hurt.

"Oh I'll be fine. I should be able to wake myself up on the drive back to your place, and then hopefully I'll be able to make it home." She said, trying to sound convincing, even though she still couldn't keep the sleepiness out of her voice.

"Maybe you should sleep at Baker Street tonight, just so I know-" Sherlock tried to suggest, but Georgia cut him off before he could finish.

"Nope, trust me - I'll be fine." She stated, lifting her suitcase into the back of the car, Sherlock mirroring her actions whilst also glaring halfheartedly at her. "Anyway, if I were to sleep in the same bed as you, people would definitely start to talk. And there's no way Greg would be able to keep his mouth shut if anyone even went _near_ the subject."

She looked at him for a minute, seemingly sobering up from her half asleep state, watching as Sherlock indignantly sighed, closing the boot door, giving up on the debate.

"Fine, but you better not get die otherwise I'll revive you and kill you myself." He said, teasingly glaring at her. Georgia fake gasped, pushing his shoulder.

"You wouldn't dare! You would be way to sad to do that; at least I hope you would be. That would be very disappointing if you didn't care about my death at all. . ." She wondered, half teasing, half curious as to what Sherlock's reaction would be.

He looked at her for a minute, his eyes softening.

"I would be devastated by your death. I hope I never have to ever experience it. _Ever._ " He spoke with finality in his voice, as though he was never going to let her take one foot off this earth so long as he lived. And, well, he was Sherlock Holmes. He always got what he wanted. He took Georgia in his arms, hugging her extra tightly to make sure she knew how much he meant what he said.

"Good. I'm glad to hear that you care about me. Am I the one that's finally wormed my way into your heart?" She grinned up at him, Sherlock not even fighting the loving smile on his face.

"Oh my dear, you didn't worm your way in - you opened it up." Georgia leaned up and gave him a quick peck on the lips, breaking out of his embrace to get into the drivers seat of the car.   
  
  


━━━━━━━━  
  
  


As Georgia pulled up to 221b, Sherlock sighed, undoing his seat belt and turning to face Georgia. 

"I can't believe I've spent a whole week with you and now I don't want you to leave." He pouted, making the most adorable face. Georgia laughed, undoing her own seat belt.

"Don't worry - you'll see me again in a couple of days. Maybe even tomorrow if we get lucky." She replied before getting out of the car to help Sherlock with his bags and to say goodbye - as much as she didn't want to.

"Hopefully John will be with one of his girlfriends tomorrow, and if we _are_ lucky, then he might stay out the night. That means you can actually stay at my place for once." Sherlock suggested, pulling her to him after they'd unloaded his bags.

Georgia gasped and looked around.

"What if someone sees Sherlock?!" She started to panic, but Sherlock just laughed softly.

"Don't worry - it's eight o'clock in the morning. John will still be asleep and no one ever comes down the road this early." He assured, gently pushing her back so that she was trapped between him and the black car. Georgia smirked up at him.

"Jeez, you just can't get enough of me can you?" She asked sarcastically, but Sherlock shook his head.

"No, I really can't. If I always had my way-"

"You do always have your way-"

" _If I always had my way,_ then you would never _ever_ leave my arms. Ever." Georgia looked up at him, surprised at the amount of affection that he was showing this morning. _Maybe I should take him away more often if I get to see this side of Sherlock more._ She thought.

"Well, it's a shame that you don't, otherwise we'd never get any work done." She raised an eyebrow a him, but her expression soon dropped as he leaned down to capture his lips in hers. Ever since they'd taken their relationship to the next level, even little things like this always became heated somehow.

Sherlock pushed her up against the car a little more with his pelvis, his blood unconsciously flowing south. He held himself up by bracing his right hand on the car door, which Georgia found extremely sexy.

"Mm, Sherlock you're going to have to stop otherwise you're going to get me and yourself riled up and that would _not_ be convenient." Georgia said slowly, reluctantly pulling away from him. Sherlock dropped his head-

"I think it's a bit late for that; don't you?" He said, holding back a laugh. Georgia snickered, blushing pink as she saw the bulge forming in his crotch area. "That's fine; I'l just have to deal with it myself." Georgia raised an eyebrow at his statement.

"Well, as you probably know, I have a near photographic memory - I specifically remember two nights ago when you had your mouth around my-" Georgia's hand flew up to Sherlock's mouth, her cheeks now flaming red.

"Alright, alright, I get it - you're horny!" She paused for a minute, both of them looking into one another's eyes, before Georgia's turned a shade darker. "Drop you bags inside and get back in the car - be quick." She said, the playfulness gone from her voice, replaced by lust and _control_ , a side of her that Sherlock had never seen of her before. But he liked it. Very much.

He did as she said and quickly picked up his bags, opening the front door of 221b and leaving them in the hallway before hurrying out, closing the door behind him and jumping into the car with Georgia.

"Tired anymore?" He questioned.

"Nope - there are bigger issues at hand; sleep can wait." She muttered, pulling away from the flat.

Unknown to them, John and Donna had seen the _whole_ exchange between them; from the kissing to the. . .quick change of plans. It would be an understatement to say that they were more than a little surprised.


	17. The Talk.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Both Sherlock and Georgia confess something to their best friends.

Donna was at a slight loss as for what to say. She wasn't even sure that she could explain what she'd just seen, and she wasn't going to try. All she did was look over to John, who just looked amused. 

"What?" She questioned after seeing the look on his face. 

"Nothing, I just...I never thought I would see the day that Sherlock obeyed an order, but then again, I've also never seen him push anyone up against a car and snog their face off, so I guess it was a weird situation anyway." He spoke, trying to keep the laughter from bubbling out, but as soon as he looked up and locked eyes with Donna, they both burst out laughing. 

"I don't know why I..." Donna started, but found that she couldn't talk and laugh hysterically at the same time. "I don't know why we're so surprised - it was bound to happen at some point!" She exclaimed, waving her hands in the air. 

John nodded, trying to calm himself down. 

"Okay, we need to make a plan of action. You need to speak to Georgia and me, Sherlock. Obviously not right now..." He trailed off, once again bursting into another bout of laughter. 

━━━━━━━━

Sherlock and Georgie had positioned themselves comfortably in bed after some very tiring _activities_ , now lying with her head on his chest as he slowly raked his fingers through her bedraggled hair. It was safe to say that both of them were extremely happy with the situation they had found themselves in, and it was hardly an unusual one either. Not now that their relationship had been established a fair while ago. 

"Are you happy?" Sherlock asked softly, continuing his ministrations through her Hazel hair. "I mean, are you truly happy? Because I know that my life is definitely not the most normal, and sometimes it can be dangerous," Georgia sat up as he spoke, "but I want to know if you're okay with all of that. Because if not, you can leave, get out while you still can." He finished, looking up at her with barely concealed worry. 

Georgia looked at him incredulously, shaking her head slightly.

"Do you really think any of that is going to put me off being with you? Because if that's what you think, then you are sorely mistaken." She leaned down, kissing him as softly as she could. "The reason I like you is because you're a risk taker. You aren't afraid to take down a criminal, even if you have to ever so slightly break the law to do it," she looked into his eyes, smiling down at him, "and I will never leave you. So if you were hoping to get rid of me, then you'll have to leave." She teased, flipping her hair behind her. 

Sherlock just smiled at her. He was unbelievably proud of himself. Not because of his massive ego (although that was very much still there), but because he had managed to find a woman who was practically perfect for him in every way. 

First off, she matched his intelligence almost perfectly. Of course, everyone knew that no one could meet Sherlock's level of know-it-all except for Mycroft, but Georgia came fairly close to achieving it, far closer than anyone else ever had. He had even told her so, the first night he met her. 

Secondly, she wasn't scared off by his work. She appreciated that sometimes he had to rush away on a case, and that she wouldn't hear from him for a couple of days, or maybe a week at the most. But when he came back, she always welcomed him with open arms, and she provided him with the comfort that he had been missing for so long, and didn't realise he needed until he had it. 

Overall, he couldn't imagine his life without her, not now. But that just showed how grateful he was of her, and how much he treasured her as a big part of his life. And Georgia could see that too, which made her indescribably happy, a feeling she thought she would never experience. 

"Very well then. I suppose I'll just have to hold on to you for a while longer then." He spoke, pulling her back down to lie with him. 

━━━━━━━━

Once Donna was sure that Sherlock had left Georgia's apartment, she made her way up to the flat, letting herself in with the key that her best friend had given her last year. She could hear Georgia in the shower, so she sat down on the sofa, stroking Elio as he came over and sat on her lap, curling up on her legs. 

Just as Donna was about to get out her phone, the shower stopped and Georgia came walking out of the bathroom, towel drying her hair. She looked up as she made her way into the living room, clearly not seeing Donna. 

"Hey." She spoke nonchalantly, making Georgia jump and reach for a kitchen knife. "Woah, calm down mate, it's just me!" She laughed, raising her hands in mock surrender. 

"Jesus- don't _do that_!" Georgia exclaimed, putting the kitchen knife down and holding her hand over her heart. 

"Well I won't scare you anymore as long as you stop hiding your relationship from me." She countered, standing up so she could see Georgia's reaction. Her eyes widened, and she stood there, her jaw dropped. 

"How do _you_ know about that?!" She asked incredulously. Donna just laughed, picking up an Apple from the counter and started playing with it. 

"I have my ways..." She answered suspiciously, although she failed to keep the smile off her face. Georgia raised her eyebrows at her best friend. "Okay fine. John and I were at Baker Street when you came to drop Sherlock off today, and let's just say that we saw your little...moment. Or moments, because you were snogging for _quite a while..._ " Donna just had a chance to duck before a stress ball was thrown at her head. 

"Oh GOD STOP." Georgia exclaimed, burying her head in her hands. "I can't believe you saw that!" 

"Of course I did, and I'm pretty sure that half of London did too!" Georgia sighed. 

"The reason we didn't tell anyone is because we just wanted to...keep it to ourselves for a while. You know how all of my other relationships have ended, and when he asked me out, I asked him if we could keep it a secret for a while, just so I could be sure that this one was going to hold up." She paused for a moment, before speaking again, albeit quieter this time. "I really like him, Donna." 

She was speechless. Georgia really liked him. Properly liked him. 

"And do you lo-" 

"Not ready for that yet!" Georgia held up a warning finger, trying to keep her quiet. "We haven't done _that_ 'l' word yet, but...yes. I think I do." 

"And do you think he does? Love you?" Georgia paused for a moment, thinking. 

Of course she knew that Sherlock liked her, that much was clear from what they had been doing earlier on in the day and from their relationship. But did he _love_ her? She honestly didn't know. He could, but who really knows with Sherlock Holmes? Seen as she was his girlfriend, the one person who was probably the closest to him right now, she knew a lot about him that other people didn't. She understood him in a way that other people probably didn't. And that though made her happy, because it shows that there's a special Sherlock reserved for her. The one that lets go of the sociopathic mask, the one that just acts like himself. The one that nobody else gets to see. 

So there was no doubt that Georgia loved him. But she couldn't say the same for him. Not because she was doubting his feelings for her, but because who ever actually knows what's going on in that mind of his?

━━━━━━━━

"I can't believe you thought you could hide this from me. I'm your best friend!" John chucked himself onto his chair, breathing out loudly. "I mean, what made you think that I wouldn't find out?" 

"It's not that I never wanted you to find out, it's just that we were keeping it a secret for a while. i don't think many of her past relationships have worked out that well - which I'm thankful for, because then I wouldn't have her - so she wanted to keep it private for a while until she felt comfortable enough to tell people. So yes, now you know, but please don't go around telling everyone else." 

John looked at his friend for a few moments.

"Sorry. I didn't realise there was a reason behind keeping it quiet. But I am happy for you, mate. So, who else knows apart from myself and Donna?" Sherlock internally blanched for a moment, not wanting his best friend to know that Lestrade found out before him.

"Um...n-no one. No one else knows." John raised an eyebrow at Sherlock. 

"You just stuttered. You don't stutter unless your really nervous. So come on - spill." Sherlock breathed out heavily.

"Fine, Lestrade found out. Well, I say found out, he called me for a case just as Georgia and I were..." He hesitated for a moment. "Preoccupied, and he noticed and turns out he's not that bad of a detective after all." 

John sat there for a moment, desperately trying to get the weird image out of his head, while also trying to wrap his head around the situation as a whole. 

"Right. Okay then. Oh, I should also tell you that we found the photo you have of you and Georgia at the cinema. That's the main reason we suspected something in the first place." John gestured to the table, where the photo was sat. Sherlock smiled at it slightly and picked it up, looking at it. 

"You love her, don't you?" Sherlock's eyes stopped scanning the photo, and he had to get his thoughts together for a moment. 

"Of course. Of course I love her." 


	18. Freak No.2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Georgia and Sherlock have an encounter with Sally Donovan.

Considering everyone close to them (Greg, John and Donna) now knew about their relationship, in a way it was more freeing. They no longer had to hide their affection for one another and they could be a proper couple. But with that said, Georgia knew that Sherlock thought he would be treated differently now he was in a relationship - of course - he was worried that people would think he's gone soft.

But although he thought this, it still didn't stop him from being extremely proud of his relationship. He had never thought in a million years that he would be here, lying in bed asleep next to a beautiful woman who he could call his. And usually, he wouldn't condone sleeping as part of his schedule, but even for Sherlock;

5 am is way too early.

"Nooo, go away, I want to sleep." Georgia whined, burying her head even further into the pillow, trying to block out the ringing of her phone.

"Turn it off then. Pleaseee." Sherlock begged in his deep morning voice, turning around to nestle into Georgia.

"Fine." Her hand suddenly shot out from under the covers as she blindly reached for her phone, tapping the screen aimlessly in order to shut the thing off.

After about half a minute, she finally managed to switch it off without chucking it on the floor. They led there in silence for a minute, before Georgia had a thought.

"That was probably a case, wasn't it?" She questioned.

"Yeah, probably." Sherlock grumbled, only half listening. Once he'd realised what she'd said, they both shot up, yanking the covers off. Georgia reaches for her phone as Sherlock started getting dressed.

"A missed call from Greg. Shit." She clicked on his name, putting the phone on speaker as she also started to get dressed.

" _Hello?_ " Greg's voice came through the phone.

"Hey; you phoned? Is there a case?"

" _Yeah, is Sherlock with you?_ "

"Is that a trick question?"

"... _No?_ " Georgia sighed.

"Okay, yeah, he is. Where you do want us?" She asked, pulling some black jeans on. 

"It's a farm in Surrey. Triple murder, all in sarcophagus'."

"Okay, text me the address and we'll be there." Georgia hung up and finished getting ready, jogging into the living room to find Sherlock already there, coat and scarf on and holding hers out for her. She smiled at him as she put it on, then they both raced out of the door and jumped into Georgia's car, heading to the crime scene. 

━━━━━━━━

When they arrived at the scene, it was only 6:45 am, so the sky was still nearly pitch black. Groggily, Sherlock and Georgia got out of her car, the former still holding onto his coffee for dear life. As they made their way towards the taped off area, Georgia spotted Greg talking to some officers. They both ducked under the yellow caution tape and met with the Detective Inspector, who looked just as tired as they felt. 

"Alright you two - we have Anderson on forensics and Donovan is around somewhere, so just keep an eye out for them, and preferably keep yourselves away from both of them." He warned as we started walking into the house. When they got down there, Georgia was surprised to see that Donna had already made a start. 

"Hello, I didn't know you'd be here - you didn't need to come." Georgia greeted her. 

"Well someone had to remember the equipment, didn't they?" Georgia looked around, then sighed. 

"It's not my fault that someone decided to find a body this early in the morning, is it? How am I expected to actually be fully functioning this early in the morning?" She questioned, not looking for an answer, and thankfully not getting one. 

Georgia turned around to see if Sherlock had got anything, to find him staring off into space. 

"Sherlock?" Georgia called, to no answer. "Hello? Sweetie?" She waved her hand in front of his eyes, and he zoned back in.

"Hm, what?" He answered, finally. "Oh yes, sorry. Uh, about 34-35, female, obviously, and a banker for Aberdeen bank." Sherlock spouted out, taking a sip of his coffee afterwards. 

"Right, okay, thank you. We're just getting her DNA sent off, so we should know who she is soon. Have you got anything else?" Sherlock shook his head, still slightly out of it. 

"Are you feeling okay?" Georgia asked quietly as she made her way to his side. Sherlock looked down at her and nodded, leaning down to rest his head on hers. "Are you sure?" 

"I'm perfectly fine, love. Don't worry. Sometimes the 'no sleep' thing catches up on me, that's all." He explained, kissing her on the head. 

"Sorry, are we interrupting something?" A sarcastic voice rung through the room, pulling Sherlock and Georgia away from each other. 

_Of course,_ Sherlock thought. _Sally._

"No, Donovan, you're not interrupting anything. Feel free to mess up the evidence as much as you want - we're done here." Sherlock grabbed Georgia's hand and started to lead her out of the room, when Donovan spoke up again. 

"Ah, I see. Freak number two, is it? Does he lead you around everywhere?" Sherlock turned around faster than Georgia could comprehend, and faced Sally. 

"Don't you _ever_ speak about Georgia in that way again. Just because you can't find someone who isn't married, doesn't mean you need to be a bitch about other people's successful relationships." With that, Sherlock strode out of the room, leaving Georgia in the doorway. 

"I don't know you, but please stay the hell away from Sherlock and I. And also, he doesn't lead me around everywhere - quite the opposite. It is 2020 after all." Georgia winked at the confused Sargent and left the room. 

"What did you say?" Sherlock asked Georgia as she emerged from the house. 

"Oh, nothing really. I just told her what's what." She said cheekily, getting into the car, ready to go back home and to bed. She just so happened to miss Sherlock's small smirk. 

He definitely loved her. 


	19. 'Tis the season.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> John becomes suspicious of Sherlock's nervous behaviour at their Christmas party.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is in John's POV :)

Christmas is here! Since myself, Donna and Greg found out about Sherlock and Georgia, things have been relatively normal (except for the fact that Sherlock is now in a stable, fully fledged relationship). We've been busy, as usual, which has thankfully left no time for Sherlock to be bored between solving cases and spending time with Georgia.

There was a minor incident at the start of November, where Sherlock got skimmed by a bullet while we were on a case, and Georgia got angry at Sherlock for putting himself in danger (to be honest, it was justified - he knew the suspect had great aim - he was just lucky), so they didn't speak to each other for a week, but they soon made up when Sherlock took her out to dinner.

Since when did he become a charmer?

It's now December 20th, and as Christmas is just a few days away, we're holding a little gathering at 221b, as usual. In the kitchen is Mrs Hudson and Molly, talking about some show on tv. On the sofa, Greg and Mycroft are engaging in conversation (which is honestly surprising...). By the window, Sherlock is teaching Georgia how to deduce people who walk on the pavement below, which leaves myself and Donna, making sure that the couple don't get into any trouble - basically - making sure that Georgia doesn't get drunk and Sherlock doesn't insult anybody.

As I was watching the two, I noticed that Sherlock was fiddling with something in his trouser pocket, looking slightly suspicious. It's like he wasn't really paying attention to whatever he was saying to Georgia, so I excused myself from Donna, and approached the two.

"Hey guys. Doing alright?" I asked casually, trying not to act as suspicious as Sherlock. They both turned around, and I then noticed that Sherlock had gone white as a sheet.

"Yeah, we're alright. What about you? Having fun?" I nodded, looking around the room.

"I'm good, yes, thanks." So much for playing it cool. "Um- Sherlock could I speak to you? Please?" I asked, pointing to the door of the flat.

"Sure, yeah." He agreed, looking slightly confused, but he followed me nonetheless. When I was sure that we were out of earshot from everybody else, I started talking.

"What's up with you? You've been acting weird this evening. And what have to been playing with in your..." I looked up at him. "You're not going to...you know. Are you?"

Sherlock looked confused for a moment, before catching on.

"No no, I'm not proposing to her. No." I breathed out a sigh of relief, but that feeling very quickly vanished when he pulled a...no. A pregnancy test out of his pocket.

"WHAT IS THAT?!" I whisper shouted, pointing to the stick that Sherlock held in his hand.

"I..." He paused, trying to find the right words. "I think Georgia may be pregnant. She's been feeling sick and she missed her last period. I don't know what other explanation there can be. But I don't know how to give it to her without offending or upsetting her."

When he'd finished, I looked up from the test to Sherlock, and saw the look on his face. He looked utterly terrified.

"And...what if she is pregnant? How would you feel about that?" He contemplated my question, looking a little lost.

"I...I suppose it wouldn't be that bad. We're not married, but I think we're stable enough to be able to have a child." He shrugged his shoulders, still looking worriedly at the test.

"I think I'd rather you'd been proposing to her instead of this. I'd have preferred trying to talk you out of a "boring married life" than telling you not to freak and run away if she **_is_** pregnant. You do know you can't just walk out when it gets hard, right? Because if you have this child, you have to be prepared. You have to be committed."

"Of course I'll be committed, John. I'm not just going to leave her. Anyway, if there's anyone I would want to have a child with, it would be Georgia." I contemplated this for a minute. I'd never have thought that I'd hear a sentence like that come out of Sherlock's mouth, but here we are.

"It's just so soon, and I'm worried you might not be able to handle it, that's all. I know what you're like - it was a big enough surprise that you had a girlfriend in the first place, so it'll take a bit getting used to if there's a child calling _you_ 'dad'." We both chuckled at that, and I could see Sherlock visibly calming down, getting back to his normal, rational state.

"Okay. Well thanks for the 'pep talk', but you do realise that there is a chance that she may not even be pregnant?" He asked, only just realising it for himself.

"Of course, but I wanted you to be prepared. Just in case." I said, holding the test out to him.

"Just in case."


	20. A Test.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sherlock approaches Georgia with his theories, and prompts her to take action to find out if they're true.

Sherlock was scared. Yes, you heard right. The famous consulting detective of London was scared shitless. I mean, you would be too if your girlfriend of not that long was possibly pregnant. The thought made Sherlock want to curl up and hide, hoping that all of his problems would just magically vanish. Not that this was a problem as such, it was just that if Georgia was pregnant, then he wouldn't have a single idea of what to do.

And it's not that he wasn't slightly excited - because he was. In fact, he was quite excited, but he promised himself that he wouldn't get too worked up over this - whether that be excitement or worry. Because chances are, she isn't even pregnant, and Sherlock is just jumping to conclusions. But, better to be safe than sorry.

"Hey, you alright?" Georgia asked as Sherlock came back over to her, once again fiddling with the test in his pocket. _How am I supposed to do this?_ He thought, working through the possible scenarios in his head.

"Yes, I'm fine. I was just wondering if I could speak to you in private?" He asked cautiously while trying to seem nonchalant on the outside - he had no idea if it was working.

"Uh- sure, yeah." She agreed, putting her champagne glass down, following Sherlock to his bedroom. When she thought she realised what was happening, she started to laugh.

"Oh god, Sherlock! You could have just waited until..." She trailed off as she turned to face her boyfriend. The man that was currently holding a pregnancy test out to her. "What- what is this?"

"You've been throwing up in the mornings, and you missed your last period. I know you didn't notice, otherwise you would have already taken one." Georgia stood there for a moment, contemplating his words.

"Jesus, you're right. How did I not see?" She asked, starting to pace around the room. Sherlock could see she was panicking, so he slowly approached her.

"Hey, everything will be fine. Don't worry - we don't even know if you are or not yet."

"And if I am? What will we do then? I can't imagine you'd want a baby running around the place." She said, still walking around, running her fingers through her curled hair.

"Look, we'll talk about that afterwards - if the test is positive, okay? Just go to the bathroom and take the test." He held Georgia by the shoulders and looked into her eyes. " _Please._ "

She stood there for a moment, contemplating her decision. After a couple of seconds, she nodded, taking the test from the bed and walking into the bathroom, shutting the door behind her. Sherlock sat on the bed, his head in is hands, just thinking about everything. All of the possibilities of the situation.

Two minutes had passed, and Georgia came out of the bathroom, holding the stick wrapped in tissue.

"We have to wait three minutes before we look at it." She said, placing it down on the bed between them. They sat there in silence for the whole time, thinking the exact same thing - what's going to happen?

The timer on Georgia's phone went off. _Here goes everything._ She thought, feeling sick at the thought of either answer. She slowly reached out and took the paper from the top. Sherlock hesitantly reached out and turned it over.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi. Louisa here just to say sorry about the cliffhanger even though I did it completely on purpose. :)


	21. A Result.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sherlock and Georgia get the results of the test and Sherlock purchases an expensive gift for her.

_Positive._   
_2-3 weeks._

Neither of them could believe their eyes. It was positive. The test was positive. Georgia was pregnant. They were going to have a child. Both Sherlock and Georgia started to tear up as she grabbed the test and lunged at him, wrapping his arms around his neck.

"We're going to have a baby!" She whispered in his ear, making the tears roll down his face quicker. He buried his face in her hair, hugging her back as tight as he could.

"A baby. _Our baby._ " They stayed there for a few moments, holding each other tightly as they came to terms with the news. As much as it was a shock, it was also the best news that they could have got. In Georgia's mind, they would never get as far as having a baby. Getting married, maybe, but she just couldn't picture having a child with Sherlock. She didn't see him as the type to want to have children, but judging by his reaction, he was more than happy about the news.

As for her, she had always wanted children, but she gave up on the dream when she met Sherlock. After the first time they'd kissed, she knew that she wanted to be with him for a long time, but she also knew that she would be giving up having children. So you can imagine that his reaction to this news made her ecstatic.

"We should probably get back out there," Sherlock suggested, pulling back to wipe his eyes. Georgia mirrored him, trying to sort herself out, "people will wonder where we've been."

"We can't tell people just yet - maybe John and Donna just for now. Just in case." Sherlock agreed, and once they finally looked normal again, they headed back through to the living room where everyone was sat exchanging gifts.

"I told them to wait for you, but Greg insisted that we start without you - he was convinced you were having a quickie." Georgia rolled her eyes at the Inspector, going to sit down on the floor in the circle, but Sherlock was quick to offer his chair to her.

"Thanks," she muttered, making eye contact with John. Something told her that he already had an idea of what was going on. _Of course, they talked outside._ She then turned to Greg, "for your information, we weren't having a quickie. We were just talking."

"Yeah yeah, that's what they all say." He said with a chuckle, taking a sip of his beer afterwards.

The last present to be exchanged was Sherlock's to Georgia. He handed the little parcel over, and she tore the paper open to reveal a very aged book. She turned it round to find that it was the first edition of Charles Thomas Newton's book 'Travels and Discoveries in the Levant', which was Georgia's dream book. Not only had Sherlock managed to find a copy, he managed to find the first edition too.

"Sherlock...this must have cost tons! You really shouldn't have." She said, looking up at him with a shocked smile.

"It wasn't that much, I promise." He answered.

"Where did you get it from?" She asked nonchalantly, flipping through it carefully.

"A place called Peter Harrington." Georgia slowly looked up at him.

"The place in which this book costs _one and a half grand_?!" She exclaimed quietly, holding the book close to her. "Love, you really shouldn't have," she said, getting up and kissing him, "you've already given me the best present today-"

"Yeah, the quickie you just had." Greg interrupted. Both Sherlock and Georgia slowly turned around to glare at Greg, before she returned to her seat.

"But thank you, sweetie. This means a lot." Sherlock smiled down at her, before he got up and held out his hand.

"John, Donna, can we speak to you for a minute please?" He asked, helping Georgia up and walking with her through to the kitchen, closing the door behind Donna and they both walked in. "So, Georgia and I have something we want to tell you. Now, don't get too excited-"

"Oh my god you're getting married?!" Donna whispered in excitement, looking for the engagement ring on Georgia's finger.

"No, not that." Georgia replied, and waited for a minute, before Donna adorned an open mouth expression.

"No. Fucking. Way. You're pregnant, aren't you?!" Georgia bit her lip to try and stop her smile, but it came through anyway. "Oh my god!" Donna exclaimed quietly, rushing to hug both Georgia and Sherlock. "Congratulations! Aww, I'm so happy for you both!"

John then came over and hugged them both, patting Sherlock on the back.

"Well done mate. I'm happy for you."

"Thank you, John."

"Well, we better get back out there otherwise they'll think something's wrong."

As Sherlock sat next to Georgia on the arm of his chair, he realised, looking around the room, how lucky he was to have people around him who he loved and respected. He would try to give this child the life they deserved, even if that meant endangering himself to make sure they were safe.


	22. A Series of Unfortunate Events pt.1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Georgia gets called on a case, but herself and Donna get a big shock.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All I have to say is...sorry.

Getting called to work in the middle of the night was now becoming a regular thing, and not something that Georgia particularly liked. She was more used to the sound of her ring tone waking her up than her actual alarm, and even then, that sound was a relief because it meant that she had managed to sleep through the night.

Reaching over to the bedside table, she blindly picked up her phone, struggling against the bright light. As she swiped the answer icon, a choir of sound came from the speakers, so loud that Georgia had to hold the phone away from her ear for a minute.

"Yes, what is it?" She asked, her voice muffled by the pillows.

"We've got a case; nothing too major, but you might want to come and have a look. Is Sherlock with you?" Greg questioned. Georgia could tell he was tired too, but murderers don't wait til sunrise to kill.

"No, I'm at my flat tonight. Why, haven't you already called him?" Georgia slowly started to get out of bed, pulling on some random clothes from her wardrobe, and very badly mismatching her socks.

"Yeah, but he's not- oh wait, no, he's here. But I didn't leave him a message...how does he know?" There was silence on both ends for a minute. "Oh well, it's Sherlock." Georgia shrugged in response, despite the inspector not being able to see.

"Well I'll be there soon - send me the address please." She requested, pulling random things into her bag while holding the phone to her ear with her shoulder.

"Okay- yeah, I better go, Sherlock's heading for Donovan. Bye." Greg quickly hung up, so Georgia took the phone and called Donna.

" _What do you want, Satan?_ " Came the muffled voice of her best friend.

"Good morning to you too." Georgia replied sarcastically, rushing out of the door and unlocking her car, sliding into the drivers seat.

" _It's not morning, it's bloody witching hour for god's sake. There better be a case._ " Donna threatened, making Georgia scoff.

"Of course there's a case. I wouldn't dare wake you, otherwise. You're like a hibernating bear. Eat in the Summer, sleep in the winter." She spoke while putting the phone on speaker as she drove away from her flat. "I'm on my way down to the lab, and I'll forward you the address of the scene, so we can meet there."

" _Hmm. Okay, fine. Bye._ "

━━━━━━━━

Once Georgia and Donna had arrived at the scene, the area was cleared of Greg's usual forensic team to make way for Georgia's. As they made their way down the steps to the basement of the house (there was a lovely theme of basements from their recent cases - Georgia suspected that it was a popular idea to bury people there for some reason).

As they were walking down the hallway to the main room of the scene, Georgia and Donna could hear muffled voices coming from inside. Georgia could make out Sherlock's voice and a female voice talking, and quickly recognised it to be Sargent Donovan.

"I'm surprised that they're not ripping each other's-" Georgia was cut off by laughter coming from the same room. She looked back at Donna, confusion washing over her. Donna motioned her head forward, putting her finger to her lips. They slowly advanced forward, getting close enough to the door that they could see inside.

Nothing could have prepared Georgia for what she saw.

Sherlock had Donovan backed up against the wall, one hand beside her head, and was leaned in so close that if either of them moved a single centimetre, they would be kissing. It couldn't get worse than that.

But of course, it could, because Sherlock leaned in ever so slightly, capturing her lips in a gentle kiss. And it was safe to say that Georgia, in that moment, wanted to throw up.

"Oh god." She muttered, backing away from the door, suddenly finding it hard to breathe.

"What? What is it?" Donna whispered, worry etched onto her face as she watched Georgia. She turned around and looked through the crack in the door, suddenly horrified by what she saw. "Shit." She hissed, turning so her back was to the wall.

A couple of seconds later, the door opened, revealing Sherlock.

"Georgia! I didn't know you were here." He spoke, slightly too loudly to not be guilty.

"No, I know you didn't know. Otherwise you'd have waited until I was gone to snog Donovan." The look on Sherlock's face was priceless. "So, how long?"

"W-what?" He stuttered. Georgia just scoffed, rolling her eyes. The shock was now starting to wear off, quickly being replaced by anger.

"How long have you been shagging Donovan? Clearly by that kiss you have shagged her, how she thrust up against you like some horny teenager. So come on? How. Long?"

Sherlock was silent for a minute, before he answered quietly.

"A month and a half." Georgia breathed out harshly.

" _Seriously?!_ We've only been going out for two months!!" She exclaimed in disbelief. Just as she was making a go at him, Donna held her back, just as Donovan stepped in front of Sherlock.

"If you have a problem, come to me. You have no right to speak to him like that." That was the last straw for Georgia. She scoffed once more, before turning around and stomping back up the stairs two at a time, trying to get out of the house as soon as possible.

In the background, she could hear Donna shouting at the both of them, but she couldn't hear exactly what she was saying. She was thankful anyhow. Just as she was making her way back to the car, Greg stepped in front of her, stopping her in her tracks.

"Hey, what's going on - where are you going?" He asked, confused as ever.

"Why don't you ask that cheating son of a bitch and your slutty Sargent? I'm sure they'd be able to provide more information than me." She spat, pointing behind her towards the house, before getting into her car and driving away.


	23. Not Real

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> No spoilers, sorry :)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bleugh, sorry for the short chapter :(

Georgia awoke with a start, shooting up from the mattress and instinctively placing a hand on her stomach. Nothing was wrong with the baby, but her nightmare had shaken her terribly. Out of everything that her mind could have conjured up, it had to be Sherlock cheating on her.

Because Georgia had awoken with such a start, she had also stirred Sherlock from his sleep next to her. He reached his hand out in a state of half sleep, curling his arm around her stomach and placing a feather light kiss on tiny, almost invisible bump.

"Are you alright darling?" He asks in a deep, sleepy voice, his eyes still closed lightly. Slowly, he opened one to gaze up at Georgia.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just a bad dream, go back to sleep." She told him, lying back down and running a hand through his curls as he tightened his arms around her and nuzzled his face into her neck.

"I love you."

"I love you too." She replied, although sleep was not as easy for her to achieve as it was for Sherlock. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't help but replay the events of her dream, over and over in her mind.

She was extremely sure that he wouldn't cheat on her, even if the chance was handed to him on a silver platter with a promise that Georgia would never find out. This comforted her - she was glad that she was with someone who she could depend on and trust, no matter what.

She was also still reeling at the news of the pregnancy. It hadn't quite hit her; the severity of the situation. This made things complicated. Georgia was constantly reminded of the dangers of Sherlock's job, and she couldn't help but think of what would happen to her and the baby, should anything happen to him.

Their child would have to grow up without a dad, for starters. But Georgia soon realised that they wouldn't have much of a mum, either. She didn't know how she would ever cope if anything _did_ happen to Sherlock. She didn't know if she would even cope at all.

But that was the worst case scenario. Most of the time, he gets away with a few scratches and bruises, which heal over with time. His death is not an issue that can be resolved as easily. In fact, Georgia was quite certain that his death was something that she would never get over.

In this moment, she found herself thinking back to the words that she had heard Mycroft relay to Sherlock once or twice in passing; _Sentiment is a chemical defect found on the losing side._ Although these were originally Sherlock's own words, he seemed to discard them once he'd met Georgia, something that she was thankful for, otherwise she was sure that they wouldn't be in this position.

Nevertheless, she found some truth in those words, even if she wouldn't apply them directly to the life she wanted to have. Yes, 'sentiment' as Sherlock so broadly put it is a good thing - it can bring people a lifetime of happiness. But it can also bring a lifetime of misery, if used incorrectly or abused. She could see the downside to sentiment, especially in the event of Sherlock's death. 

If she hadn't been so attached to him, maybe she would find his death easier. But, of course, it was too late for that - she was his, and she intended to stay that way for a long time.


	24. Catch up.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Georgia and Donna meet up to have a much needed conversation.

Both Sherlock and Georgia awoke to a phone ringing. Georgia was really starting to resent both of their jobs, especially with her bump growing at a steady pace, making it harder to hide and walk around without losing her breath quickly. Sherlock was acting perfectly, making sure that she was okay, making sure that she'd eaten enough, and he was certainly cracking down on how much caffeine she had a day. That was the one thing that annoyed her - the lack of coffee. She practically survived off the stuff, and now she couldn't have any at all. 

Sherlock sat up, picking his phone off the beside table. Before he answered, he exhaled loudly, slumping over. Slowly, he brought the phone to his ear.

"Hm, what is it?" He asked, rubbing a hand down his face. He listened for a couple of seconds to the person on the other side, gradually waking up, straightening his back. "Of course, I'll be there in half an hour." Sherlock spoke, hanging up afterwards. He turned back towards Georgia, giving her an apologetic smile. 

"Sorry if I woke you. I have a case - Greg said that it was important..." He paused for a minute, looking slightly confused. "He thinks it may be Moriarty. But I'm not so sure. If it was, he would know that you're pregnant - he would have made contact before this." 

Sherlock looked deep in thought for a moment, so Georgia reached up, cupping his cheek as she spoke to him. 

"And if it is him, we'll do everything we can to stop him while protecting our child. Because that's what we do. We work together to protect the people we love. Okay?" She asked, feeling Sherlock nod against her hand. He slowly moved his head to the side, placing a soft kiss on her palm. 

"I'll be as quick as I can; if you need anything, just call me." He told her, placing a quick kiss on her now prominent stomach before getting out of bed to pull some clothes on. "By the way - when are you planning on going on Maternity leave?" He asked, buttoning his shirt up. 

"Not for another two months, why?" She replied, slightly worried for whatever he was planning. His movements halted, and he turned around to face her. 

"I was wondering...maybe it would be better for you to move in here - you know, seen as we're going to have a baby and everything..." He trailed off, looking over her face to gauge her reaction. Luckily, Georgia was always very good at hiding whatever she was feeling from Sherlock, so he couldn't get anything from her anyway. After a minute of him worrying about what she would say, her face broke out into a grin. 

"Of course, I'd love to move in! About time, already." She teased, throwing his jacket to him as she laughed. Sherlock was visibly relieved, quickly moving to her side of the bed and stealing a kiss before he called goodbye from the hallway. 

"Well then, how do you feel about a couple more hours' sleep?" She asked her stomach, lying back down and slowly drifting off into a peaceful slumber. 

━━━━━━━━

"I just can't believe that you've made it this far with him. I really am so happy for you, sweets." When Georgia had woken up at an acceptable hour, she decided that maybe it was time for a little chat with Donna. Since finding out that she was pregnant, Georgia had decided that it would be wise to take some time off to figure out what herself and Sherlock were going to do now that there was a baby on the way. 

Of course, neither of them were expecting it, but it wasn't an unwelcome surprise either. But there were lots of things that needed planning - where they were going to live, whether it would be safe to stay at Baker Street and when they were going to tell people. With Sherlock being Sherlock, he'd started to panic slightly about cots and beds and high chairs, the fact that they hadn't at all been prepared to bring a baby into this world. 

But, Georgia being Georgia, she was able to calm him down and convince him (just about) that she had faith they were going to be just fine. _'Lots of couples, together or not, bring children into the world, and most of them turn out perfect. They adjust and adapt to their new lifestyle and they make it work. We're one of those families. We'll be fine.'_

"I can't quite believe it myself. Everything has moved so fast, and...in a way, it's quite overwhelming. But, you know, I'm sure we'll cope." She shrugged, taking a sip of her _decaf_ coffee. God forbid Sherlock ever found out that she was drinking normal coffee - he wouldn't let it go for days afterwards. 

"So, how is everything with you?" She questioned, feeling that she'd abandoned her friend's life ever so slightly. "Anything exciting? A new fella, perhaps?" Wiggling her eyebrows at the frowning woman across from her. 

"Uhh, nope. Not for me, thank you. I'm swearing off them for a while. I'd much rather help you with this little munchkin," she pointed at the bump that was now showing slightly through Georgia's tight t-shirt, "instead of forcing myself into a relationship I don't want to be in." 

Georgia shrugged, seeing the point Donna was trying to make. 

"I suppose so. Anyway, I'm going to need all the help I can get - not with the baby, but with Sherlock." She chuckled, even more so when Donna snorted, gaining the attention of quite a few people in the cafe. 

"Maybe we should leave." Donna sniggered, as they grabbed their coats and left. 


	25. Moving in

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Georgia moves in to 221b.

It all felt so surreal. This time two years ago, Georgia never would have thought that she'd be in this position - moving boxes into 221b, getting ready to spend the rest of her life (hopefully) with Sherlock Holmes. Of course, nobody would have thought that Sherlock would be in this position - helping his seven months pregnant girlfriend move into his flat.

They'd had a conversation as to whether staying in the flat was a good idea, but John didn't live there anymore, leaving a room empty, and there was plenty of space for now. If they had any more children (which hadn't been a conversation either of them wanted to have at that point in time) they could always think about moving and keeping the flat for work.

Sherlock made sure to point out that he would try to keep the child out of his work as much as possible, but Georgia knew that as soon as they were old enough, Sherlock would be desperate to show them round a crime scene. She couldn't decide if she would be happy with his enthusiasm or worried about their child seeing dead bodies at the tender age of two.

But she was ecstatic with Sherlock's overwhelming enthusiasm about the situation. When he prompted her to take the pregnancy test, she was so sure that he wouldn't be happy about a positive outcome, but afterwards, she scolded herself for thinking that he would be anything short of being on cloud nine.

There was only one problem with being pregnant on moving day; the only thing Sherlock would let Georgia pick up was a cup of tea. Sherlock panicked if she was within even half a metre of a box, and it was starting to become quite annoying. Luckily, there weren't many boxes - Georgia had donated most of her furniture and bits and bobs to charity shops, so she only had three or four boxes with her essentials, clothes and important possessions in.

The one thing that Georgia was most excited for was the nursery. She couldn't wait to start decorating and painting and buying little things for the baby - it made her ecstatic about the situation - even more so than usual. Sherlock, of course, was fussing like crazy; he kept thinking that they wouldn't be ready for the baby by the time it came, and as soon as Georgia had settled in, he'd insisted that they start shopping for the baby.

That meant that two weeks later, their flat was full to the brim with baby stuff - if anybody was still in the dark about the pregnancy, they would certainly know now if they were given a glance into 221b. There were things everywhere - boxes of bottles, many toys (both bought and gifted - the two individuals' parents were elated about the news of a grandchild - especially Sherlock's parents), ready-to-assemble baby furniture and tons of other things that Sherlock had, in a way, panic bought.

They got to work on the nursery straight away, first by painting the walls a lilac colour - as soon as they knew that their little baby was a girl, they had both agreed that they wouldn't be simple and paint it pink. We all know that anything in Sherlock's life isn't simple. They assembled all of the furniture and put everything in place, and by the time they were done, it looked perfect. Complete with an antique rocking chair in the corner of the room and some bees painted around the room (courtesy of Sherlock's love of the insects).

As Georgia looked around the room, she took a deep breath in, just stopping for a moment to look over everything they had managed to complete within the past week. The fact that they now had the nursery complete in a way, sort of made everything feel one hundred times more real. Before, it seemed as though there would never be any need for one - it hadn't quite sunk in that they would soon have a real baby in their lives.

But it didn't scare Georgia one bit. She was ready for this. She had the perfect partner to experience everything with, a stable job and a complete life. To her, everything had fallen into place.


	26. The Unexpected.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> No spoilers, once again. Sorry :)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the last chapter! :(

It all felt so surreal. This time two years ago, Georgia never would have thought that she'd be in this position - moving boxes into 221b, getting ready to spend the rest of her life (hopefully) with Sherlock Holmes. Of course, nobody would have thought that Sherlock would be in this position - helping his seven months pregnant girlfriend move into his flat.

They'd had a conversation as to whether staying in the flat was a good idea, but John didn't live there anymore, leaving a room empty, and there was plenty of space for now. If they had any more children (which hadn't been a conversation either of them wanted to have at that point in time) they could always think about moving and keeping the flat for work.

Sherlock made sure to point out that he would try to keep the child out of his work as much as possible, but Georgia knew that as soon as they were old enough, Sherlock would be desperate to show them round a crime scene. She couldn't decide if she would be happy with his enthusiasm or worried about their child seeing dead bodies at the tender age of two.

But she was ecstatic with Sherlock's overwhelming enthusiasm about the situation. When he prompted her to take the pregnancy test, she was so sure that he wouldn't be happy about a positive outcome, but afterwards, she scolded herself for thinking that he would be anything short of being on cloud nine.

There was only one problem with being pregnant on moving day; the only thing Sherlock would let Georgia pick up was a cup of tea. Sherlock panicked if she was within even half a metre of a box, and it was starting to become quite annoying. Luckily, there weren't many boxes - Georgia had donated most of her furniture and bits and bobs to charity shops, so she only had three or four boxes with her essentials, clothes and important possessions in.

The one thing that Georgia was most excited for was the nursery. She couldn't wait to start decorating and painting and buying little things for the baby - it made her ecstatic about the situation - even more so than usual. Sherlock, of course, was fussing like crazy; he kept thinking that they wouldn't be ready for the baby by the time it came, and as soon as Georgia had settled in, he'd insisted that they start shopping for the baby.

That meant that two weeks later, their flat was full to the brim with baby stuff - if anybody was still in the dark about the pregnancy, they would certainly know now if they were given a glance into 221b. There were things everywhere - boxes of bottles, many toys (both bought and gifted - the two individuals' parents were elated about the news of a grandchild - especially Sherlock's parents), ready-to-assemble baby furniture and tons of other things that Sherlock had, in a way, panic bought.

They got to work on the nursery straight away, first by painting the walls a lilac colour - as soon as they knew that their little baby was a girl, they had both agreed that they wouldn't be simple and paint it pink. We all know that anything in Sherlock's life isn't simple. They assembled all of the furniture and put everything in place, and by the time they were done, it looked perfect. Complete with an antique rocking chair in the corner of the room and some bees painted around the room (courtesy of Sherlock's love of the insects).

As Georgia looked around the room, she took a deep breath in, just stopping for a moment to look over everything they had managed to complete within the past week. The fact that they now had the nursery complete in a way, sort of made everything feel one hundred times more real. Before, it seemed as though there would never be any need for one - it hadn't quite sunk in that they would soon have a real baby in their lives.

But it didn't scare Georgia one bit. She was ready for this. She had the perfect partner to experience everything with, a stable job and a complete life. To her, everything had fallen into place.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, here we are. The end! I've decided that I want to do some side pieces for this story, so they will be uploaded randomly. Stay safe! :)


	27. Side Piece #1 - Lazy Sunday

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sherlock and Georgia get an unexpected (or rather, quite expected) visit early on a Sunday morning.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ugh, this chapter puts me in my feels :') Enjoy!

𝐬𝐨𝐧𝐠 - 𝐡𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐛𝐲 𝐦𝐢𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐞𝐥 𝐛𝐮𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐨𝐫 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐰𝐚𝐭𝐜𝐡 𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐦𝐞 𝐛𝐲 𝐩𝐚𝐮𝐥 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐢 𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐨

Sunday mornings were always the best. Both Sherlock and Georgia had the day off, and they always elected to spend it with their two little creations, Julia and Matilda. They were the sweetest pair, and there was hardly ever a time when they didn't get on. There was one year between them, so they were both infatuated with Barbies and purple plastic hair extensions (which had, a couple of times, made their way into their parents' hair). But they were also Sherlock Holmes' children, so while they may seem perfectly normal, they had a soft spot for musical instruments and science experiments.

Julia was now four, while Matilda had just turned three, and Sherlock was eternally grateful that the 'Terrible Twos' phase was over for the both of them. They certainly got their lack of patience from their father, but that didn't mean that Sherlock could handle every time one of them decided to throw a fit because they were bored. He now felt very sorry for John and Georgia having to put up with his bouts of restlessness.

Even though the pair loved their children with all their hearts, Sherlock and Georgia did not like the lack of lie ins they were allowed. Spoiler; that number is zero. Regardless of it being early on a Sunday morning, the children were already wide awake, sat cross legged on the floor of their purple walled bedroom.

"I think we should wake Mummy - I'm hungry!" Whispered Matilda, bouncing on her bottom. Julia rolled her eyes mockingly, a silly grin on her face.

"We can't, Tilly! It's too naughty." She leapt up from her spot on the carpet, going to the door and opening it a crack so she could see through to the stairs. "You see? None of the lights are on. That means Daddy isn't even awake yet."

"That'll make it easier to sneak down, don't you see?!" Tilly raised her voice, and Julia was quick to scold her.

"If we do this, you need to promise to be super extra specially quiet, understand?" She raised an eyebrow at her younger sister, who nodded frantically. Julia opened the door a little more so both sisters could sneak through the opening and down the stairs, taking extra care to avoid the squeaky floorboards.

Once they had made their way to the first floor, the girls navigated their way through the living room, into the kitchen and then to the door of their parents' bedroom. Julia turned to Matilda silently and held her finger up to her lips. She reached up and turned the handle, pushing the door open. Tilly peeked over the sheets, seeing that the adults were still sound asleep. They both went round to the other side of the bed to where Sherlock was, remembering what he said about not waking Mummy if they could help it.

A dip in the bed woke him, and he could half register two small bodies making their way under his arm to cuddle between himself and his wife. He exhaled deeply, pulling them closer to him and pressing a kiss to one of their heads.

"Why are you up so early? The sun has barely risen, monkey." He spoke, still teetering on the edge of consciousness.

"We couldn't get back to sleep and Tilly was hungry, so we came down." Sherlock laughed quietly, shaking his head.

"Of course, I should have guessed - Tilly's always hungry. I'll make you some food, but on one condition; you mustn't wake Mummy, okay?" He bargained, knowing how much Georgia needed the extra sleep. Unfortunately, it was a little too late for that.

"Don't worry, Mummy's awake now." She mumbled into her pillow, reaching her arm across Sherlock's. "But Daddy can still make the breakfast." She smiled into the darkness, watching as the now rising sun cast a small shadow on Julia and Matilda who were wrapped tightly in Sherlock's arms, his head buried in Julia's hair.

The sight was definitely worth the early wake up call.


	28. Side Piece #2 - Home for Christmas

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Georgia thinks she won't be home in time for Christmas with her family, but turns out there is such a thing as a Christmas miracle!

𝐬𝐨𝐧𝐠 - 𝐜𝐚𝐧'𝐭 𝐡𝐞𝐥𝐩 𝐟𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐧 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐛𝐲 𝐡𝐚𝐥𝐞𝐲 𝐫𝐞𝐢𝐧𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐭

Two weeks felt like far too long for Georgia to be away from her family, from her home - especially so close to Christmas _and_ because she had Sherlock, Julia, Matilda and her youngest eight month old son, Alex, waiting for her. The excavation in the Middle East was only supposed to take one week, but after making some unexpected discoveries, it was extended by a further seven days, taking the trip all the way up to Christmas day. Georgia was distraught that she wasn't going to be able to be there for Alex's first Christmas, but there was nothing she could do about it.

On December 23rd, Georgia was approached by the manager of the excavation for the Middle East, wishing to speak with her urgently.

"Now, I understand that the dates for the excavation have been set to overlap Christmas - one that you were planning to spend with your family?" Georgia sighed, sitting down in one of the chairs closest to her.

"Yeah, unfortunately, but I suppose I can't do anything about it now - it's far too close to Christmas, and we're nearly done anyway." The manager gave her a sympathetic smile, taking the seat next to her.

"What if I were to tell you that I could get you home to be with your family?" Georgia's eyes moved upwards to face him with hope. "You see, we don't really need you here, now that we have all of the items retrieved - I can carry out the rest of the cataloguing, and you can be home just in time to put your children to bed tomorrow night."

"Oh, you have just saved my life! Thank you so much, really - I'm so grateful!" The manager smiled, waving her out of the tent. Georgia left, jogging over to the other tent on site where Donna was leading the pack-up. "Hey, turns out I can go back in time for Christmas after all! The manager said that he'll handle everything from here, and I can travel back tonight."

"What? That's great! Well go and pack, there's a flight out of here in two hours, and you'll be able to make it if you leave within the next 30 minutes." Donna rushed Georgia out of the tent and towards their rooms.

Georgia was quick to pack all her things together, doing one more check around the room to make sure she hadn't left anything and then called a taxi to take her to the airport. Forty minutes later, she was buying a ticket back to England, buzzing with excitement at seeing her family. 

***

Sherlock put the now empty plates into the sink, helping Matilda down from the table. As he watched her run into the living room, he came to stand by the sliding doors, looking over his three children as they all sat around the lit-up tree. Every time he thought of tomorrow, he thought of how Georgia should be there with him, not all the way in the Middle East. But at least he wasn't completely alone - he had Julia, Matilda and Alex to keep him company throughout the day, and then John, Mary and Mrs Hudson would join them for Christmas dinner. 

But they weren't Georgia. 

There was a knock at the door, breaking Sherlock out of his daze. Mrs Hudson wasn't home for the night, so he left the flat, closing the door behind him. He made his way down the stairs and to the front door, unbolting it and opening it. 

"I'm sorry, but I'm not taking cases right-" Before he could finish, he heard a small laugh coming from the person, drawing his focus to their face. 

"Are you sure you can't make an exception?" Georgia asked, a cheeky smile on her face. As soon as she spoke, Sherlock recognised her, and the biggest grin adorned his face. He rushed out the door, wrapped his arms around her and picked her up, spinning her around.

"I thought you weren't going to be back until after Christmas?!" He breathed out as he put her down, looking into her eyes with so much love and adoration that Georgia was sure was going to make her melt. 

"The manager for the Middle East side said that he could sort out the rest of the excavation, and so he sent me home early! I can't believe I'm actually back." She said, shaking her head. Sherlock lowered his lips to hers, relishing the first kiss he'd gotten from her since she left. Their mouths moved in sync, but they pulled apart when a banging noise came from above them. 

They both looked up to see Julia and Matilda grinning and waving from the window, Alex no doubt still entranced by the lights on the Christmas tree, like he had been since it had gone up on December 1st. Sherlock and Georgia shared a laugh, before picking up her bags and making their way inside. As soon as they got into they flat, both adults were bombarded by excited children, even Alex who probably didn't know what was even going on, but seemed to be excited to finally see Mummy again. 

"Your back! Your back!" Julia shouted, bouncing on Georgia's lap as she hugged her. 

"Yeah," she replied, locking eyes with Sherlock over her back. "I'm back." 


End file.
